If you’re a parent, you may fear that your kids will use drugs, such as marijuana or LSD. But you may not realize the dangers of substances in your own home. Household products such as glues, hair sprays, paints and lighter fluid can be sniffing drugs for kids in search of a quick high.
Many young people inhale vapors from these to get high, not realizing the serious health consequences. Here is a partial list of stuff you want to keep out of your children’s hands when you’re not around:
- Nitrites ~ video head cleaner, room deodorizer, leather cleaner, liquid aroma
- Aerosols ~ spray paint, hair or deodorant spray, fabric protector spray, aerosol computer cleaning product, vegetable oil spray
- Volatile Solvents ~ paint thinner or remover, degreaser, dry-cleaning fluid, gasoline, glue, correction fluid, felt-tip-marker fluid, electronic contact cleaner
- Gases ~ butane lighters and propane tank, whipping cream aerosol or dispenser (whippets), refrigerant gas, ether, chloroform, halothane, nitrous oxide (”laughing gas”)
Any of these can cause death. Regular abuse can result in serious harm to your overall health, as well as your:
Parents and kids both need to know that sniffing any of these commonly used household products is very dangerous. Even one session of inhalant abuse can disrupt heart rhythms and lower oxygen levels.
