Study: Teens Don’t See Danger in Sniffing Household
Inhalants
By Daniela Feldman
CQ Staff
A new study released Monday found that even
though adolescents are using inhalants less often,
they don’t perceive the activity to be dangerous, said Harvey Weiss, director
of the National Inhalant Prevention Coalition.
One million teens between the ages of 12 and 17, about 3.9
percent, used inhalants in 2007, down from the 4.4 percent who used substances
in 2006, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. The study was
funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
At Monday’s press conference, Timothy Condon, deputy
director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, said young people are the
most common inhalant abusers, reporting that 8.9 percent of eighth graders have
used inhalants to get high.
Inhalants are everyday products that include shoe polish,
glues, aerosols, solvents and other fluids and chemicals. Sniffing these
products can be highly addictive, harmful and sometimes fatal.
Condon said he expects inhalant use to rise because teens
have a decreased perception of risks as well as “decreasing disapproval” of
inhalant use. He recommended making inhalants less accessible, putting labels
on products alerting users of potential harm and educating adolescents about
the dangers of abusing such substances.
In 2007, inhalants were the third most common substance used
by teens who tried illicit drugs for the first time. According to the study,
17.2 percent of adolescents who used drugs for the first time “huffed”
inhalants. The greatest percentage of adolescents, about
fifty-six percent, used marijuana and hashish for the first time, followed by
23.5 percent of teens who abused prescription drugs.
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“It’s important that we take time to remind ourselves that
household products essential to our daily routines, if misused, can be deadly,”
said Eric Broderick, acting administrator of SAMHSA.
Acting Director Edward Jurith of
the Office of National Drug Control Policy said parents need to talk and
educate their children about the dangers of inhalants.
The current perception among teens that using inhalants is
not dangerous is strikingly similar to usage patterns in the late 80s and 90s,
when such abuse was at an all-time high, said Weiss. Because inhalants are
legal and easy to obtain, Weiss said efforts should be focused on communicating
with teens about the harm of inhalant use and developing prevention programs.
Many groups are working toward eliminating access to harmful
household chemicals found in homes. Dana Prothro,
whose daughter died after huffing air conditioner refrigerant in 2007, has been
a member of an organization working with the International Code Council to
change residential building codes so people cannot access harmful chemicals
contained in common household appliances, including air conditioners.
Source: CQ HealthBeat News
© 2009
Congressional Quarterly Inc. All
Rights Reserved. Reprinted with permission.
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