December 2004 Page 1 of 4

Inhalants are breathable chemical

vapors that produce psychoactive 

(mind-altering) effects. A variety of products common in the home and in the

workplace contain substances that can

be inhaled. Many people do not think 

of these products, such as spray paints,

glues, and cleaning fluids, as drugs

because they were never meant to be

used to achieve an intoxicating effect.

Yet, young children and adolescents can

easily obtain them and are among those

most likely to abuse these extremely

toxic substances. 

Inhalants fall into the following 

categories: 

Solvents 

• Industrial or household solvents 

or solvent-containing products,

including paint thinners or removers,

degreasers, dry cleaning fluids, 

gasoline, and glue 

• Art or office supply solvents, including correction fluids, felt-tip-marker

fluid, and electronic contact cleaners 

Gases 

• Gases used in household or commercial products, including butane

lighters and propane tanks, whipped

cream aerosols or dispensers 

(whippets), and refrigerant gases 

• Household aerosol propellants and

associated solvents in items such as

spray paints, hair or deodorant

sprays, fabric protector sprays, and

aerosol computer cleaning products 

• Medical anesthetic gases, such as

ether, chloroform, halothane, and

nitrous oxide (“laughing gas”) 

Nitrites 

• Organic nitrites are volatiles that

include cyclohexyl, butyl, and amyl

nitrites, and are commonly known as

“poppers.” Amyl nitrite is still used

for medical purposes. Volatile nitrites

are often sold in small brown bottles

and labeled as “video head cleaner,”

“room odorizer,” “leather cleaner,” or

“liquid aroma.”

Health Hazards ———

Although they differ in makeup, nearly

all abused inhalants produce short-term

effects similar to anesthetics, which act

to slow down the body’s functions.

When inhaled in sufficient concentrations, inhalants can cause intoxication

usually lasting only a few minutes. 

Inhalants
December 2004 Page 2 of 4

However, sometimes users extend this

effect for several hours by breathing in

inhalants repeatedly. Initially, users may

feel slightly stimulated. Repeated inhalations make them feel less inhibited and

less in control. If use continues, users

can lose consciousness. 

Sniffing highly concentrated amounts of

the chemicals in solvents or aerosol

sprays can directly induce heart failure

and death within minutes of a session of

repeated inhalations. This syndrome,

known as “sudden sniffing death,” can

result from a single session of inhalant

use by an otherwise healthy young person. Sudden sniffing death is particularly

associated with the abuse of butane,

propane, and chemicals in aerosols. 

High concentrations of inhalants also

can cause death from suffocation by 

displacing oxygen in the lungs and then

in the central nervous system so that

breathing ceases. Deliberately inhaling

from a paper or plastic bag or in a

closed area greatly increases the chances

of suffocation. Even when using aerosols

or volatile products for their legitimate

purposes (i.e., painting, cleaning), it is

wise to do so in a well-ventilated room

or outdoors. 

Chronic abuse of solvents can cause

severe, long-term damage to the brain,

the liver, and the kidneys.

Harmful irreversible effects that may be

caused by abuse of specific solvents

include:

• Hearing loss—toluene (spray paints,

glues, dewaxers) and trichloroethylene (dry cleaning chemicals, correction fluids) 

• Peripheral neuropathies, or limb

spasms—hexane (glues, gasoline)

and nitrous oxide (whipped cream

dispensers, gas cylinders) 

• Central nervous system or brain 

damage—toluene (spray paints,

glues, dewaxers) 

• Bone marrow damage—benzene

(gasoline) 

Serious but potentially reversible effects

include:

• Liver and kidney damage—toluenecontaining substances and chlorinated hydrocarbons (correction fluids,

dry cleaning fluids) 

• Blood oxygen depletion—aliphatic

nitrites (known on the street as poppers, bold, and rush) and methylene

chloride (varnish removers, paint

thinners) 

Extent of Use ———

Initial use of inhalants often starts early.

Some young people may use inhalants

as an easily accessible substitute for

alcohol. Research suggests that chronic

or long-term inhalant abusers are among

the most difficult drug abuse patients to

treat. Many suffer from cognitive impairment and other neurological dysfunction

and may experience multiple psychological and social problems.
December 2004 Page 3 of 4

2004 Monitoring the Future

Survey (MTF)*

According to the Monitoring the Future

survey, NIDA’s nationwide annual survey

of drug use among the Nation’s 8th-,

10th-, and 12th-graders, lifetime use by

8th-graders increased significantly in

2004 following a long and substantial

decline in inhalant use through 2002 in

all three grades. Between 1995 and

2002, 8th-graders’ annual prevalence

fell from 12.8 percent to 7.7 percent, as

an increasing proportion of students

came to see inhalant use as dangerous.

However, annual prevalence rose significantly for 8th-graders, from 7.7 percent

to 8.7 percent from 2002 to 2003. In

2004, 8th-graders’ annual use was 9.6

percent.

2002 Drug Abuse Warning

Network (DAWN)**

Emergency department mentions of

inhalants increased 187 percent, from

522 in 2001 to 1,496 in 2002, returning to the approximate level observed 

in 2000.

2003 National Survey on Drug

Use and Health (NSDUH)***

Among youths age 12 to 17, 11.2 percent were current illicit drug users in

2003, and 1.3 percent were current

inhalant users. Among 12- or 13-yearolds, 1.4 percent used inhalants, the

same percentage as 14- or 15-year-olds. 

The number of new inhalant users was

about 1 million in 2002. As in prior

years, these new users were predominantly under age 18 (78 percent), and

about half were male (53 percent). 

Other Information

Sources ———

For additional information on inhalants,

please refer to the following sources on

NIDA’s Web site, www.drugabuse.gov:

Inhalant Abuse—Research Report Series

Various issues of NIDA NOTES (search

by “inhalants” or “solvents”) 

Community Drug Alert Bulletin—Inhalants
December 2004 Page 4 of 4

* These data are from the 2004 Monitoring the Future Survey, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse,

National Institutes of Health, DHHS, and conducted by the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research. The

survey has tracked 12th-graders’ illicit drug use and related attitudes since 1975; in 1991, 8th- and 10th-graders

were added to the study. The latest data are online at www.drugabuse.gov. 

** The latest data on drug abuse-related hospital emergency department (ED) visits are from the 2002 DAWN report,

from HHS’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. These data are from a national probability

survey of 437 hospital EDs in 21 metropolitan areas in the U.S. during the year. For detailed information from

DAWN, visit www.samhsa.gov/statistics/statistics.html, or call the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug

Information at 1-800-729-6686. 

***The 2003 NSDUH, produced by HHS’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, creates a

new baseline for future national drug use trends. The survey is based on interviews with 67,784 respondents who

were interviewed in their homes. Not included in the survey are persons in the active military, in prisons, or other institutionalized populations, or who are homeless. Findings from the 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health are

available online at www.DrugAbuseStatistics.samhsa.gov.

National Institutes of Health – U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

This material may be used or reproduced without permission from NIDA. Citation of the source is appreciated.