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I FROM SCHOLASTIC AND THE SCIENTISTS OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE, NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICESInhalants can cause harm to the whole body,including long-lasting damage to the brain,physical disabilities,and even death.Photo credits: spray from aerosol can © Hardy/zefa/CORBIS; household products inset © Custom Medical Stock Photo; ball and chain © Paul Hardy/CORBIS. VAPORS:VAPORS: mother went in to wake Kyle up.Instead, she found him dead in bed,with a straw from the can ofcomputer cleaner he had inhaledstill in his mouth. One of Kylesfriends had shown him how to gethigh this way about a month before.Some might think such cans containnothing but compressed air. Theycouldnt be more mistaken.OW INHALANTS DOTHEIR DAMAGEInhalant vapors often contain morethan one chemical, increasing therisk of serious harm. Some chemicalsleave the body quickly, but othersare absorbed by fatty tissues in thenervous system, including the brain.They can stay there for a long time.One of these fatty tissues ismyelin„a protective cover thatsurrounds many of the bodys nervecells (neurons). Nerve cells in yourbrain and spinal cord send andreceive messages that control justabout everything you think and do.Deterioration of myelin can lead tomuscle spasms, tremors, or evendifficulty with basic actions such aswalking, bending, and talking.Toluene, one of the mostcommon chemicals in inhalants, isfound in glue, spray paint, paintthinner, and a number of otherproducts known as solvents.Toluene can damage myelin„andalso the liver, the kidneys, and theability to hear. Other inhalants such as benzene(found in gasoline) can compromisethe bodys ability to produce blood H III FROM SCHOLASTIC AND THE SCIENTISTS OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE, NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Check out this diagram to learn about the damage the chemicals in Hearing Lossloss, perhaps by damagingthe hairs of the inner ear ornerves that carry soundimpulses to the brain.Blackoutsrapid changes in bloodpressure, which canlead to blackouts andLiver andKidney Damageorgans, which havemany vital functions,harmful substances out of the body. Damage to CentralNervous SystemFumes from inhalants canpermanently damage thecentral nervous system(brain and spinal cord).Limb Spasmsmyelin needed for nervesto transmit messages,resulting in musclearms and legs. Bone Marrow Damagemarrow, where blood cells aremade, increasing the risk ofleukemia and aplastic anemia(potentially fatal illnesses). INHALANTS: POISON VAPORSINHALANTS: POISON VAPORS Inhalant Toluene Trichloroethylene Hexane Nitrous Oxide BenzeneSources € Spray paint € Cleaning fluid € Glue € Whipped cream€ Gas cylinders Harmful Effects € Hearing loss€ Damage to centralnervous system € Hearing loss € Limb spasms € Limb spasms € Immune system damage To find out the data about dangers for teens regarding inhalants and other drugs of addiction, checkout these Web sites for the latest statistics:www.drugabuse.govScientific information from NIDA about all drugs of abuse and advice on how to quit.http://monitoringthefuture.orgHere youll find data from the latest Monitoring the Future survey.Funded by NIDA, this survey of youth drug-use trends has been conducted annually by the University of Michigans Institute for Social Research for more than 25 years.www.nida.nih.gov/about/organization/CEWG/Established by NIDA in 1976, the CommunityEpidemiology Work Group (CEWG) provides ongoing community-levelsurveillance of drug abuse through analysis of quantitative and qualitativewww.drugabusestatistics.samhsa.govfindings from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, whichinvestigates national drug-use trends among the general population age 12 and older.www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/yrbs/index.htmthe Youth Risk Behavior survey, which collects data from students in grades9…12 nationwide. It includes questions on a variety of health-related riskbehaviors, from drug use to seat-belt use. Cutting Edge: Drug-Abuse Statistics IV FROM SCHOLASTIC AND THE SCIENTISTS OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE, NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICESFor help with a drug problem orto locate treatment centers, go towww.findtreatment.samhsa.govor call the national hotlineat 1-800-662-HELP.cells, which can lead to a life-anemia. Various chemicals in otherinhalants can also cause hepatitis,liver failure, weight loss, muscleweakness, disorientation, inabilityto concentrate, loss ofcoordination, irritability, anddepression. In short, seriously mess you upEADS UP: THERE ARENO SAFE INHALANTSSome teens who understand thedangers of inhaling glue orcomputer cleaner may believe thatinhaling nitrous oxide is safe„professionals sometimes administerThey are wrong.Nitrous oxide,also known as laughing gas, is anodorless gas used by dentists as apainkiller, but when abused, it canbe as dangerous as any othernumbness, tingling, and evenparalysis. It also causes blackouts.When you breathe in purenitrous oxide, it binds with theoxygen in your blood. This meansyour bodys tissues cant get theoxygen they need. Dentists nevergive pure nitrous oxide to patients.They always mix it with oxygen.People who sell balloons or littlecanisters filled with nitrous oxideon the street or at concerts dontknow how to do this„and even ifthey did, they wouldnt bother. Ifyou inhale nitrous oxide outside ofa dentists office, youll likely beflooding your body with sulphuricacid, ammonia, and nitric oxide„EADS UP: YOUNGERAT RISKIt is vitally important that you tellyour friends what youve learnedabout the risks of inhalants. Whilerecent studies show that overallthe abuse of inhalants hasincreased, especially amongyounger teens. According to themost recent Monitoring the Futuresurvey, a study of youth drugtrends sponsored by NIDA, twiceas many 8th-graders as 12th-2004, more than 17 percent of thisinhalants at least once in theirlives„a statistically significantincrease compared with theprevious year.A key problem revealed by theMonitoring the Future survey isthat more than 38 percent of 8th-graders didnÕt realize thatregular use of inhalants isMore than 66 percent ofthis age group didnt think thatusing inhalants once or twice wasrisky. This lack of awareness canset the stage for disastrous healthconsequences. The more kids knowabout the harmful effects ofable to make the smart choice andavoid inhalants altogether. H © Brand X Pictures/PictureQuest