A new report by HHS’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, revealed today at a press conference by the National Inhalant Prevention Coalition (NIPC), finds that 17.2 percent of youth ages 12-17 started using drugs by sniffing household products.
These youth sniff products such as refrigerant from air conditioning units, aerosol computer cleaners, shoe polish, glue, air fresheners, hair sprays, nail polish, paint solvents, degreasers, gasoline or lighter fluids. Youngsters intentionally inhale these substances to get high. Most parents are not aware that use of inhalants can cause “Sudden Sniffing Death” - immediate death due to cardiac arrest - or lead to addiction and other health risks.
The study, “Trends in Adolescent Inhalant Use: 2002-2007”, combines data from six years of National Surveys on Drug Use and Health to create a picture of substances that first attract young teens. The data, released at the kick-off for the 17th annual National Inhalants & Poisons Awareness Week, show that consistently, marijuana, non-medical use of prescription drugs and inhalants have been the top three choices.
After the death of her 19 year-old daughter, Erica, in 2007, Dana Prothro joined United Parents to Restrict Open Access to Refrigerant (UPROAR) to alter building codes so that youth could not access and sniff refrigerants from air conditioners as her daughter did. UPROAR’s efforts resulted in a changed model code by the International Code Council (ICC) to prevent unauthorized access to air conditioner refrigerants. The guidelines on new building construction now recommend locking caps on outside refrigerant access points to prevent huffing and save the lives of children. UPROAR will now be lobbying states to adopt the model code and urging the ICC to endorse retrofitting of old air conditioning systems.
The picture on inhalant use is mixed. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) data in its Monitoring the Future study show that looking forward, youth in eighth grade see many fewer dangers in using inhalants. The perception of harmfulness in trying inhalants once or twice is as its lowest point among 8th graders since they started being surveyed in 1991. NIDA and SAMHSA both show data indicating use of inhalants was going down through 2007, but NIDA’s 2008 data show an uptick of 0.6 percent in annual use by eighth graders. The SAMHSA data show a decline in overall use of inhalants by youth ages 12-17 from 2002 to 2007, but no decline in dependence on or abuse of inhalants. The SAMHSA report shows past year use of inhalants by those ages 12-17 declining from 4.4 percent in 2002 to 3.9 percent in 2007.
Harvey Weiss, NIPC executive director, said: “Among youth, perception is reality. When they believe that inhalants use is neither risky nor unacceptable, use of inhalants increases. If parents do not perceive the dangers and their children dismiss them, there will be more tragedy and more youngsters who die from ‘Sudden Sniffing Death’, or become addicted to inhalants. While we cannot lock up common household products, we can put access to air conditioner refrigerants under lock and key to remove temptation from unsuspecting young people. I am urging the retrofitting of older units with locks and applauding the efforts of the International Code Council to recommend locked units in new construction.”
Speaking on behalf of SAMHSA, Eric Broderick, DDS, MPH, acting administrator, noted: “Sustaining the decline in inhalant abuse requires our vigilance. We must continue to educate young children about the deadly and addictive nature of inhalants.”
Ed Jurith, acting director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, stated: "Most parents don’t realize how dangerous inhalants can be. These products - found in every home in America - are among the most popular and deadly substances that kids abuse. Parents have a responsibility to be careful about how they store these common household products and to take the time to talk to their teens about the serious dangers associated with inhalant abuse."
“Every new generation of children needs to be educated on the dangers of inhalant abuse,” said Dr. Timothy Condon, NIDA’s Deputy Director. “It is important that the public and private sector work together to reach as many teens and their parents as possible with the message that these easy-to-get chemicals can kill.”
David L. Karmol, vice president for federal and external relations at the International Code Council said: “The 2009 International Residential Code has been improved with a number of new provisions that can save lives and improve new homes - among them is the provision to require caps to prevent kids from inhaling refrigerants, a risk that many parents are unaware of. We encourage cities and states to adopt the 2009 IRC code- and begin protecting our kids from this hidden danger.”
Dana Prothro of UPROAR told the press conference: “I am here on behalf of my 19 year- old daughter Erica Rain and all those who have lost a life from the nature of this dangerous toxic chemical- refrigerant. Erica made a mistake, a mistake that took her life within minutes. I want to thank the ICC for adopting our code to secure refrigerant from such easy access by those who are untrained and have no clue that they are playing with danger and death. This action will secure new buildings. Now UPROAR is seeking support for standards that would require retrofitting on serviced and replaced units. We need to do whatever we can to protect young people from dying due to ignorance about the dangers of huffing.”
Allison Fogarty, who has been in recovery since May 2008, explained: “Becoming addicted to inhalants was certainly not intentional in any way. What started as an escape from a bad day turned out to become a daily habit, which I was unable to stop by using just will-power. Yet it became so familiar I feared having to stop and step back into reality. Although I did not suffer physical withdrawal, having to stay clean from the use of inhalants is still a daily struggle that hopefully will get easier with time.”
National Inhalant Prevention Coalition information is available on the Web at http://www.inhalants.org/. SAMHSA’s data is available at http://oas.samhsa.gov/2k9/inhalantTrends/inhalantTrends.cfm. NIDA inhalants findings are at http://www.inhalants.drugabuse.gov/. ONDCP inhalant material is on the Web at http://www.theantidrug.com/. Information on UPROAR can be found at http://www.uproarorg.org/.
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