They take place within two seconds of breathing in fumes and they include dizziness, disorientation and distortion of the senses. In some cases, a child's heart just stops dead. Experts say even very young children can learn to stay away from toxic substances. It's certainly safe to smell perfume, flowers, and fresh-baked cookies. But some kinds of products, or maybe an unknown can or an unknown bottle, never put your face near it - you never breathe in the fumes.
Older children can learn to read the safety precautions on product labels.
And all children can learn that friends who care wouldn't encourage them to try something as harmful as huffing. Latest 1999 household survey showed the rate of initial use of under 17 years olds was record 617,000 new users of inhalants of all sorts. It is the highest recorded for that age group in a single year. Total number of new users almost one million. Released four weeks ago.