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Children who have serious respiratory problems such as asthma are just as likely as other teens to experiment with inhalants, according to a new study from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

• About 4 percent of all teenagers sniff or inhale common household substances such as gasoline and glue in order to get high.
• Among teenagers with asthma, bronchitis, and other respiratory conditions, the rate was slightly higher at 4.4 percent, even though the practice may pose a greater risk to that group of teens.

The findings were based on a study of 67,850 students ages 12 to 17 years old that was conducted between 2006 and 2008.

Labels: inhalants, huffing

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According to data just released by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), more 12-year-olds have tried "huffing" dangerous inhalants than have used marijuana, cocaine, and hallucinogens combined.

According to SAMHSA data from the 2006-2008 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 6.9 percent of 12 year olds have tried inhalants at least once. By comparison, 5.1 percent of 12-year-olds have used marijuana at least once, 0.7 percent have used hallucinogens at least once, and 0.1 percent have tried cocaine at least once.

Huffing involves the intentional inhalation of chemicals in gas or vapor form with the purpose of getting high. Users can experience stimulation, reduction of inhibition, and loss of consciousness. Huffing can also result in "sudden sniffing death syndrome" which is sudden death due to cardiac arrest.

Huffers can experience sudden death the first, 10th, or 100th time they inhale chemicals. Negative effects of huffing include damage to the heart, kidney, brain, liver, bone marrow, and other internal organs.

Labels: inhalants, huffing, pre-teen

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Authorities called to the home of a 13-year-old boy in Canton, Conn., originally thought he was experiencing a severe allergic reaction. They soon realized that he was suffering the effects of huffing propane to get high.

Propane, which exits canisters at approximately 40 degrees below zero, is capable of causing severe injuries when huffed or inhaled to produce a chemical high. As a result of the incident, the Canton teen suffered severe frostbite to his hands, eyes, face, throat and lungs. Frostbite is essentially a severe burn caused by cold rather than heat; as the result of frostbite, human tissue dies and begins to rot.

Other dangers from huffing chemicals can include liver and kidney damage, impaired heart and lung functioning, and instant death.

Buddy Sangalli, director of the Connecticut Poison Control Center at the University of Connecticut, advises parents: "The opportunities are plentiful out there, and you need to have an extra degree of suspicion as to what these substances are doing in the possession of children."

(Source: www.courant.com)

Labels: huffing, teen substance abuse

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