INHALANT ABUSE THOUGHT TO BE HIGH AMONG STATE TEEN-AGERS

WASHINGTON - The federal government says more than half of the 141,000
people using or dependent on inhalants are teen-agers, but a West Virginia
official says the under-publicized problem actually is much worse.

The national statistics are shocking, however, they miss many records
involving younger kids, said Dr. Elizabeth Scharman, director of West
Virginia Poison Center in Charleston.

"Many children start very young in grade school and junior high," Scharman
said.

The National Inhalants Prevention Coalition held a conference in Washington
last week to provide facts on inhalant abuse, the intentional breathing-in
of gases and vapors for the purpose of getting high.

Unlike marijuana or other sorts of drugs, inhalants are legal, everyday
products that can be purchased in a grocery store. The user can suffer from
sudden sniffing death syndrome, such as abnormal heartbeat. Chronic
inhalant use can damage many body organs, including heart, lungs, kidneys,
liver and peripheral nerves.

NIPC is a nonprofit organization based in Austin, Texas, that promotes
awareness and recognition of the under-publicized problem of inhalant use.

According to a survey done by the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, more
than half of the abusers are ages 12 through 17.

"Inhalants are often the first substance a child experiments with," NIPC
Executive Director Harvey Weiss said in his opening remarks during the
conference.

"Up until the sixth or seventh grade, inhalants are the third most popular
substance of abuse, after alcohol and tobacco. At about eighth grade,
inhalants are displaced by marijuana but remain popular throughout the
school year," he said.

The number of school-age children using inhalants surpasses the numbers
doing ecstasy, crack and heroin, Weiss said.

In West Virginia, Scharman said, the Charleston center does not receive
calls every day regarding inhalant abuse, but the problem is more serious
than most people think.

"A lot of deaths are first-time users," Scharman said. "The deaths are so
sudden that they happen even before people get to the phone for help."

Easy access encourages many children to use inhalants, she said. "You can
buy inhalants anywhere, and you get no suspicion."

According to NIPC, more than 1,000 products available are dangerous when
inhaled. For instance: typewriter correction fluid, air-conditioning
refrigerant, felt-tip markers, spray paint, air freshener, butane and even
cooking spray.

"Kids have a false sense of 'this is not marijuana or alcohol, so it's
natural,'" Scharman said. "They affect your body more quickly than alcohol.

"Parents should be on the look-out. Parents should keep an eye on unusual
circumstances around their kids such as vacant paint cans."