Inhalants

Inhalants Solvent abuse is defined as a “deliberate inhalation of an easily vaporized organic substance to achieve a distortion of consciousness” (Steffle 1996). Any product containing a volatile substance can be used; those containing large portions are preferred. There are hundreds of chemicals, sold in thousands of products. The one thing they all have in common is that they all replace oxygen in the brain. Inhalants are classified into three categories (solvents and gases, anesthetics and …

…Boston: Jones and Bartlett. Mason, T. (1979). Inhalant use and treatment. Rockville, Maryland: U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Scheller, M. (September, 2000). Inhalants—Don’t let them take your breath away. Current Health,27. (1) p16. Stapleton, S. (April 10, 2000). Household high found to be growing threat to teen health. American Medical News 43. (14) p32. Steffee, C. (September 1996). A whiff of death: Fatal volatile solvent inhalation abuse. SMJ [Online] Available at: http:// www.sma.org/smj/96/sept6.htm