Paint sniffing

Kelly TW Prolonged cerebellar dysfunction associated with paint-sniffing. Pediatrics... 

Tsushima WT, Towne WS Effects of paint sniffing on neuropsychological test performance. J Abnorm Psychol 86 402 407, 1977... 

Effects of paint sniffing on neuropsychological test performance. 

Much of the information about the harmful effects of organic solvents comes from studies of industrial exposure, although toluene abuse through sniffing of glues and other household sources of solvents (acrylic paints, adhesive cements, aerosol paints, lacquer thinners, shoe polish, typewriter correction fluids, varnishes, and fuels) has also been widely reported. 

Forms of solvent abuse include sniffing paints, lacquers, glues, and gasoline to achieve a high. These solvents are known to contain variable proportions of many solvents the most common components are toluene, benzene, and xylene. Gasoline also contains methanol and petroleum ether. Case reports of mothers who sniffed... 

Solvents are not always sniffed for their primary component. Hair sprays and paints are sniffed for the propellant gases that keep the main ingredient airborne when sprayed. 

Tales of abuse Waiting to inhale Denver area no. 1 in paint, glue sniffing, but ranks low overall. Rocky Mountain News (Denver, CO), August 27, 2003. 

Schools may enforce their own rules regarding inhalants. In some cases, liquid correction fluid has been banned from schools. Varieties of correction fluid have been adapted by some manufacturers to minimize the toxic solvent components as a result. In some schools, even nail polish is banned, to prevent users from sniffing the polish. Art classroom markers, rubber cement, and paints may also be monitored. 

For the last ten years, we have carried around some gross misconceptions about exactly what type of damage one can do to oneself with the various sniffing products. For the sake of breaking them down for discussion, let s classify them into PAINT, AEROSOL PRODUCTS, GLUE, GASOLINE, PETROLEUM PRODUCTS AND CRYOGENICS. 

Lead (tap water, leaded paint chips, herbal remedies, gas-sniffing, glazed kitchenware, etc.) Acute N and V, GI distress and pain, malaise, tremor, tinnitus, paresthesias, encephalopathy (red or black feces) Chronic multisystem effects—anemia (X heme synthesis), neuronathv (wrist dronL nephropathy (proteinuria, failure), hepatitis, mental retardation (from pica), >1 fertility and 1 stillbirths Decontamination—gastric lavage + dimercaprol (severe) or EDTA or succimer (penicillamine if unable to use dimercaprol or succimer) Children succimer PO... 

Maternal toluene sniffing used as an organic solvent in acrylic paints, varnishes and other sources is associated with premature births and, in one case, renal tubular acidosis. Other studies of female painters showed tendencies towards an increase of spontaneous abortions or infant mortality. Other studies did not confirm these tendencies. 

Typewriter correction fluids were the most popularly abused products in the present investigation and had been tried by approximately two-thirds of the solvent abusers. Various glues and butane gas had each been abused by roughly a third of the cases. Other substances such as dry-cleaning fluids, petrol, amyl nitrite, paints and aerosols had also been tried by a few children, but in each case by less than 5% of the cases. Nearly half of the solvent abusers had sniffed more than one product and just over 10% had tried three or more different products. 

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