INHALANT USE STEADY AMONG MIDDLE SCHOOL CHILDREN

BOSTON -- Massachusetts eighth-graders are sniffing less paint thinner,
nail polish remover and glue than they did three years ago, public health
officials said yesterday.

But over-the-counter inhalant abuse among other middle school-aged children
is holding steady, and the state remains above the national average for a
risky behavior that can be fatal.

After alcohol and tobacco, inhalants are the third most abused substance
among Massachusetts middle-school students. Children are attracted to them
because they are free or inexpensive, easy to get their hands on, and
difficult to detect.

More than 1,000 common drug store and household products, including
solvents, gases, fuels and aerosols, can be inhaled to produce a high that
lasts a few seconds to 45 minutes.

Typically, the substances depress the nervous system, lowering breathing
and heart rates and impairing coordination and judgment. Inhalants can
cause permanent damage to the brain, nerves, kidneys, liver and other
organs.

They can also kill from heart problems or suffocation.

Although all youth are considered at risk for using inhalants, health
officials say white students in towns of 50,000 to 90,000 abused the
substances the most. Inhaling after eighth grade tends to decrease.

Since the mid-1980s, public health officials have polled school students
about their drug and alcohol use every three years. The survey reaches
about 7,000 students.

The 1993 study showed a sharp increase in the use of inhalants from the
1990 survey. The percentage of seventh-graders who said they used
inhalants, for example, jumped from 3 percent in 1990 to 7.9 percent in
1993. The percentage of eighth-graders inhaling went from 3.6 percent in
1990 to 11 percent in 1993.

The increase startled state health officials and prompted them to launch an
anti-inhalant campaign, called "A Breath Away." Now entering its third
year, the program is designed to teach parents, teachers and youth
counselors about the danger of the poisonous inhalants.

"Adults are the ones that need to understand about inhalants and the
behaviors and what to look for," said Mayra Rodriguez-Howard, director of
the Bureau of Substance Abuse Services in the Department of Public Health.
"We don't want to educate kids about what inhalants they can use."

The 1996 survey results, released yesterday, showed some encouraging news.
Eighth-grade use dropped from 11 percent to 7.5 percent.

But that's still higher than the 5.8 percent of eighth-graders nationally
who say they use inhalants.

Health officials are still trying to figure out why kids stop using
inhalants when they reach high school. Students interviewed in focus groups
have said inhalants are considered a "kiddish" thing to do.