When most people think of drug addiction, they think of illegal substances such as heroin, cocaine and LSD. It would be surprising that you know that some of the most toxic substances abused by adolescents and children are in the House? Certain products household and Office, including glue, shoe Polish, gasoline, and cleaning fluids can cause intoxication when their vapors are inhaled. Called "cannabis", these vapors may have devastating side effects. They are a particularly important problem because they are readily available, inexpensive and legal. In a 2003 study, 12.7% of 10th-grade students and 11.2% of 12th graders said that they had abused inhalants at least once.
When chemical fumes released by inhalants are breathed through the nose or mouth, they are absorbed by the lungs and quickly travel through the blood in the brain and other organs. Within minutes, the user feels effects of alcohol-like such as slurred speech, clumsy movements, dizziness and euphoria. These effects last only a few minutes, but the user can extend the hours by the inhalation of vapours on several occasions. Successive inhalations can also break down inhibitions and self-control. Inhalants also have serious side effects, headaches, and nausea and vomiting, loss of consciousness or even death.
Inhalants-sniffing contain chemicals that are changing the way the brain works, causing the user to feel happy for a short period. But these vapours often contain more than one chemical product. Some may leave the body quickly, but others are absorbed in fat in the brain and the nervous system, where they can stay a long time.
One of these fats is myelin - a protective envelope that surrounds a large number of nerve cells in the body. Nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are kind of like "Command Central" for your body. They send and receive messages that control gradually almost everything what you think and act. If the nerve cells are electrical wiring of your body, the myelin is rubber insulation protects electrical cords. Chemicals in inhalants can break the myelin. If the myelin breaks down, nerve cells may be unable to transmit messages more effectively.
As a result, people taking inhaled substances may have difficulty to solve complex problems and plan. They may start to lose control of their movement and coordination, which makes their slow or clumsy. They may also lose the ability to learn new things or ill have to keep track of the simple conversations.
Regular abuse of inhalants can also cause serious damage to the main organs, including the brain, liver, heart, kidneys and lungs. A single session of repeated inhalations can lead to cardiac arrest and death by modifying the normal heart rhythms or by preventing oxygen from penetrating in the lungs, causing suffocation.
There are three general types of inhalants. Solvents include the thinners or solvents, degreasers, dry cleaning of fluids, of petrol, glue, correction fluids and felt tip marker fluid. Inhalant gases found in lighters butane and propane tanks, whipped cream aerosol or distributors (whippets), spray paint, hair or deodorant sprays and fabric protector spray. The third type, nitrites, are commonly known as "poppers". Most poppers contain chemicals isobutyl nitrite or Butyl nitrite. They are available illegally and come in small bottles of Brown, sometimes labelled as "video head cleaner" room odorizer or aroma liquid.
It is difficult to know how many emergency visits and inhaled death cause. There are probably many more emergency admissions because of inhaled substances we know. Inhalant use is easily hidden, and they leave the body quickly so that they are more long at the time that someone gets to the emergency room.
Early identification and intervention are the best ways to stop inhaling abuse before it leads to serious consequences for health. Parents should store household products with care to avoid accidental inhalation by very young children. They should also remain aware of the temptations that these hazardous substances pose to children and adolescents in their homes. Source: National Institute of health
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