Household chemicals of abuse

DEFINITION: Household chemicals of abuse are commonly found in homes and include cleansers, aerosols, beauty products, and adhesives. These substances are inhaled to reach an altered state of consciousness, or high. When used in this manner, household chemicals can produce several permanent, adverse side effects, including death.

STATUS: Legal to obtain in the United States (US)

CLASSIFICATION: Uncontrolled substances

SOURCES: Household chemicals of abuse include more than one thousand products: hair spray, fabric and room deodorant sprays, nail polish, cough syrup, tub and tile cleanser, correction fluid, felt-tip-marker fluid, compressed-air computer dusters, drain cleaner, video-machine-head cleaner, air freshener, furniture polish, carpet cleaner, canned whipped cream, cooking spray, static cling spray, glass cleaner, all-purpose cleaner, oven cleaner, ant and roach bait, lighter fluid, spray paint, butane, insect spray, paint thinner, gasoline, adhesive, wood stain, motor oil, windshield washer fluid, house paint, antifreeze, Freon, pesticide, weed killer, and pool chemicals.

TRANSMISSION ROUTE: Inhalation

History of Use

The main abusers of common household products are teenagers and preteens because these products are mostly inexpensive and readily accessible. Abuse of these chemicals by teens and preteens has increased since the 1980s. In 2020, 2.7 percent of all children aged twelve to seventeen years had used inhalants in the past year. Although, each year there are hundreds of thousands new inhalant users of all ages. Inhalant abuse was more common among White, Hispanic, and Indigenous American populations. Abuse was reported equally between males and females, and inhalant abuse was more common in lower socioeconomic classes.

National surveys have indicated that inhalant abuse is second only to marijuana abuse among adolescents. Different products tend to be abused at different ages. Among children aged twelve to seventeen years, the most commonly abused inhalants are felt-tip pens (including markers and highlighters), glue, shoe polish, spray paint, gasoline, and lighter fluid. Among adults aged eighteen or older, the most commonly abused product is nitrous oxide (also known colloquially as "laughing gas"), followed by nitrites and felt-tip pens.

Effects and Potential Risks

Abused inhalants (except nitrites) act by producing short-term effects similar to barbiturates or anesthetics, which inhibit nervous system functioning. Breathable household chemicals are inhaled by dousing a cloth or bag with the substance and holding it up to the nose and mouth, or by directly spraying the chemicals into the nose or inhaling the vapors to produce a short-term high. This method is known as sniffing, huffing, bagging, or dusting. Because this type of high lasts only a few minutes, users may inhale the chemical repeatedly to maintain the high.

Abused inhalants are classified into four categories: solvents (fluids that vaporize at room temperature), gases (butane, propane, whipped cream cans, refrigerants), aerosols (spray paint, hair spray), and nitrites (poppers, snappers, room deodorizers). Large quantities of cough syrup containing dextromethorphan may also be directly ingested.

Initial inhalation introduces the substance into the brain and nervous system and produces a stimulating effect, whereas ongoing inhalation may produce a loss of inhibition and control. Because the high of inhalants resembles alcohol intoxication, users may exhibit such symptoms as trouble speaking or walking, dizziness, agitation, increased heart rate, hallucinations, delusions, vomiting, muscle weakness, depression, light-headedness, confusion, and even loss of consciousness. Nitrites work differently in that they cause vasodilation (blood vessel widening) and muscle relaxation, and abusers often use nitrites to enhance sexual activity. Dextromethorphan tends to create a feeling of spaciness and, at high doses, hallucinations.

Chronic inhalant abusers tend to exhibit such external signs as loss of appetite, facial rashes and blisters, runny nose, coughing, dilated pupils, extremely bad breath, glassy or glazed eyes, chemical smells, signs of paint or other products on face or fingers, headaches, slurred speech, nosebleeds, and reddened eyes. These signs may indicate intoxication or internal bodily damage caused by use. The chemicals in inhalants cause intoxication by inducing hypoxia (decreased oxygen to the brain), which may lead to brain damage and damage to the heart, liver, lungs, and kidneys. The effects of hypoxia vary according to which regions of the brain are damaged. For example, someone with hippocampal damage may lose the ability to learn new things or to carry on simple conversations.

Abusing inhalants may cause many permanent effects. These include hearing loss, limb spasms, bone marrow damage, brain damage (problem-solving, planning, memory loss, inability to learn new things), loss of sense of smell or hearing, and a myelin breakdown. Equally as serious but potentially reversible effects include heart arrhythmia, liver and kidney damage, blood oxygen depletion, and reduced muscle tone and strength. There is also a link between inhalant use and eating disorders.

Nitrite abuse may lead to other long-term problems. Nitrite exposure may impair immune system function and has been linked with tumor formation and growth. Because nitrites are often used for sexual activity, abusers increase their risk of obtaining and sharing sexually transmitted infections.

Inhalant abuse may be fatal even on the first dose because it may lead to heart failure. This effect is known as sudden sniffing death syndrome and can occur in otherwise healthy persons. This syndrome is mainly associated with aerosols and gases. Inhalants also may cause death by suffocation by displacing oxygen in the lungs. Bagging, or using an inhalant in an enclosed area, increases the chances of suffocation, which is why proper ventilation for the legitimate uses of the products is essential. In addition, death may be caused by the aspiration of vomit (that is, choking). Deadly seizures and coma are also possible.

Bibliography

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Foden, Charles R., Jack L. Weddell. Household Chemicals and Emergency First Aid. Boca Raton, FL: Lewis, 1993.

"Inhalant Use Disorder: What It Is, Symptoms & Treatment." Cleveland Clinic, 26 June 2024, my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/15742-inhalant-abuse. Accessed 24 Aug. 2024.

Perron, Brian E., and Matthew O. Howard. "Adolescent Inhalant Use, Abuse, and Dependence." Addiction, vol. 104, 2009, pp. 1185–92.

"Results from the 2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Detailed Tables." SAMHSA, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, US Dept. of Health & Human Services, www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/cbhsq-reports/NSDUHDetailedTabs2017/NSDUHDetailedTabs2017.htm. Accessed 12 Feb. 2019.

"What Products Can Be Abused?" Narconon, www.narconon.org/drug-abuse/inhalants/products.html. Accessed 24 Aug. 2024.

Winter, Ruth. A Consumer’s Dictionary of Household, Yard, and Office Chemicals: Complete Information about Harmful and Desirable Chemicals Found in Everyday Home Products, Yard Poisons, and Office Polluters. Lincoln, NE: iUniverse, 2007.

Wu, Li-Tzy, et al. "Inhalant Abuse and Dependence Among Adolescents in the United States." Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, vol. 43, no. 10, 2004, p. 1206, doi.org/10.1097/01.chi.0000134491.42807.a3. Accessed 24 Aug. 2024.