Inhalation of propellants is relatively recent - the propellants used are usually those found in aerosol cans. The average home has around 50 sniffable products. The substance that people are using when they inhale from an aerosol is generally the propellant, the gas that makes the product shoot out of the can. Once inhaled into the lungs, the gas rapidly moves into the bloodstream and causes effects ranging from disorientation and mild dizziness to euphoria and a sense of unreality.
Some people have hallucinatory experiences when they inhale gases.
If a group of people are using propellants together and hallucinating they often have group hallucinations. After inhaling, the effects rapidly diminish, usually stopping altogether after 15-30 minutes. The feelings whilst intoxicated will be replaced by drowsiness, possibly a headache and poor concentration. These ' hangover ' effects do not normally last for more than a day. Propellants are thus considered to have mixed effects .