Mar 16, 2007 2:54 pm US/Eastern
Study: More Teens Dying Due To 'Huffing'
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(CBS4)
Huffing to get high is nothing new, but the dangerous trend is becoming more popular, as a new study finds more kids are using toxic inhalants, and more are dying as a result.
Super glue, nail polish, and hair spray. They seem innocent enough, but kids are using these everyday items to get high. It's called huffing and a new report found more than a million adolescents did it in the past year.
The national survey on drug use and health says the problem is growing, especially among girls.
Mona Casey's 15-year-old son Charles died last year from inhaling freon.
"He won't get to experience the beauty of falling in love, getting married and having children," said his mother Mona Casey.
Many of the inhalants kids use have hydrocarbons. When those compounds are breathed into the lungs, they enter the brain, creating a feeling of intoxication. Doctors say too much inhaling could
wreak havoc on the body.
"It can result in brain damage, it can result in liver damage, it can result in kidney damage," said Dr. Theodore Bania.
Experts say the best thing parents can do is talk to their kids about the dangers involved with huffing.
"It's not a drug, it's poison and our kids need to understand," said Dan Coates, whose son died from huffing. "That these chemicals that are in our kitchens, our garages, out buildings, they can all take your life in a matter of minutes."
While the abuse of some inhalants has more than doubled in boys and girls, there is some good news. The abuse of nitrous oxide propellants, often used in cans of whipped cream, has been steadily declining since 2002.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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