Aerosols addiction
Aerosol addiction refers to the misuse of aerosol products, which are commonly found in everyday items such as spray paints, air fresheners, and computer dusters. These products release substances through propellants like nitrous oxide or solvents like toluene, which can be inhaled for their intoxicating effects. Aerosol abuse is most prevalent among adolescents, particularly those aged twelve to seventeen, with higher incidence rates observed in low socioeconomic communities where these items are easily accessible. Despite a reported decline in aerosol abuse in the US since the late 1990s, concerns remain due to inconsistencies in survey data and the potential for serious health consequences.
The effects of inhaling aerosol propellants can mimic alcohol intoxication, leading to a range of symptoms such as euphoria, dizziness, and decreased coordination. However, severe health risks include oxygen deprivation, neurological damage, and even sudden death from acute inhalation. Although addiction to aerosols is less common compared to other substances, certain components, particularly toluene, may increase the likelihood of dependency. Treatment options for aerosol abuse are limited, largely due to a lack of recognition among healthcare providers and barriers faced by younger users in seeking help. As such, awareness of the dangers associated with aerosol products remains critical for prevention and intervention efforts.
Subject Terms
Aerosols addiction
ALSO KNOWN AS: Dusters; whippets
DEFINITION: Aerosols are inhalants that use propellants to release a substance from a pressurized container into the air. Examples of aerosols include computer and electronic duster sprays, air fresheners, spray paint, whipped cream dispensers, whipped cream dispenser chargers (whippets), and cooking, hair, and deodorant sprays. The propellants and solvents in these devices can be abused like other volatile substances, such as nitrites, and solvents, such as paint thinners and correction fluid.
STATUS: Legal in the United States (US) and worldwide
CLASSIFICATION: Noncontrolled substance
SOURCE: Aerosols are sold in cans that contain propellants such as nitrous oxide or solvents such as toluene.
TRANSMISSION ROUTE: Inhalation
History of Use
Aerosols make up a unique category of abused substances, as they are not drugs and were not formulated to produce intoxicating effects. Aerosols are, however, easily obtained and, as such, are more commonly abused by children and adolescents. Most users are adolescents ages twelve to seventeen years. In the US, users are more likely to be from low socioeconomic backgrounds and to live in impoverished communities, where aerosols are inexpensive and easy to obtain. However, any person who can easily access aerosols is at risk of potential abuse.
Aerosol abuse remains a significant problem, a fact contradicting the results of three surveys in the US that tracked aerosol and inhalant abuse. The surveys had reported a declining trend in aerosol abuse since the late 1990s. However, these studies had also relied on self-reporting and focused on specific age ranges, so they may have provided an incomplete picture of abuse trends.
Reported abuse rates are higher among Hispanics, Indigenous Americans, and Caucasians in the US. While national survey data does not show significant gender differences in overall use of inhalants, males are more likely to abuse inhalants over a sustained period. Information from the National Poison Data System indicates that nearly 75 percent of cases reported to poison control centers involve males. Whereas males and females report use equally, males are more likely to have severe incidents requiring immediate medical intervention. Other studies have shown an association between eating disorders and inhalant abuse and have shown an increased likelihood of abuse among persons living in rural areas or small towns.
Historically, inhalant abuse became a widespread problem in the US during Prohibition, when ether was inhaled as a substitute for drinking alcohol. Abuse shifted mainly to inhaling glue, gasoline, and paint fumes during the 1950s. Aerosol spray abuse did not become common until the 1980s, as propellants in products produced before the 1980s generally contained chlorinated fluorocarbons (CFCs), which, based on their properties as refrigerator coolants, froze the lungs of a person who inhaled the fumes. Manufacturers’ replacement of CFCs with more environmentally friendly propane and butane led to an increase in the number of people abusing the products. Later data indicated that computer dusters and spray paint are the two aerosol products with the highest abuse rates. The National Institute on Drug Abuse reported in 2012 that about 21.7 million Americans aged twelve and above had used inhalants at least once in their lives. As the twenty-first century progressed, the problem did not go away. A 2020 survey revealed that 2.4 million Americans ages twelve and older had used inhalants in the past twelve months. Further, studies have shown the average age when youth first begin experimenting with inhalants is ten years old, younger than the average first instance of alcohol and nicotine use.
Public attention was once again brought to the risks of ingesting aerosols with the 2023 death of former teen star Aaron Carter, whose death from drowning in the bath was complicated by sedative and inhalant use. Carter had publicly struggled with multiple addictions, including inhalants, since his early teenage years.
Effects and Potential Risks
Inhalation of aerosol propellants leads to effects similar to those of alcohol intoxication. Symptoms include decreased coordination, slurred speech, euphoria, dizziness, and lightheadedness. Some people also experience hallucinations or delusions. The effects do not last as long as alcohol intoxication, however, and they generally subside after a few minutes. This leads users to inhale the substance to attempt to extend the effects repeatedly. Repeated inhalation can lead to headaches, nausea and vomiting, and loss of inhibitions. Addiction can occur, but it is not common. However, one study found that toluene, a solvent contained in spray paint, can activate the dopamine system in the brain. As this system plays a role in the rewarding effects of most drugs of abuse, this particular type of aerosol abuse may be more likely to lead to addiction.
A major concern with aerosol abuse is that the products displace air in the lungs and can lead to oxygen deprivation or hypoxia. Brain cells are particularly sensitive to hypoxia, and repeated abuse of such substances can lead to memory loss, learning difficulties, and conversational problems. Long-term abuse can destroy myelin, the protective fatty tissue surrounding nerve fibers. Myelin destruction eventually leads to muscle spasms, tremors, and difficulty with walking and other motor activities.
In addition, inhaling highly concentrated amounts of solvent or propellant from aerosol sprays can lead to heart failure and a condition referred to as sudden sniffing death, which can occur within minutes of inhalation. Death also can occur from severe hypoxia, which leads to suffocation; the chances of this occurring are increased when the substance is inhaled in a closed area or from a paper or plastic bag.
Certain substances also can lead to unique irreversible effects. Hearing loss, central nervous system damage, and brain damage can result from sniffing the toluene component of spray paint. Peripheral neuropathies and limb spasms can result from sniffing the nitrous oxide contained in whipped cream dispensers. Toluene can also lead to kidney and liver damage.
Although aerosol and other inhalant abuse remains a problem, no clear treatment guidelines exist. This may be because clinicians do not generally recognize aerosol dependence and abuse, and because treatment is focused on other substances of abuse. Also, most abusers are adolescents who may not wish to seek treatment; also, age limits keep adolescents from enrolling in clinical trials, which could lead to intervention.
Bibliography
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