Tuesday, March 20, 2007

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Week-long observance targets dangers of inhalant abuse

Star Staff Report

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WINCHESTER — Agencies at the national, state, and local levels want the parents of middle school-age children to understand the dangers of inhalant abuse.

TO PREVENT
INHALANT ABUSE:

Be aware of the signs of use: paint or stains on the body or clothing; loss of appetite or nausea; a chemical breath odor; spots or sores around the mouth and nose; red or runny eyes or nose; anxiety; or a drunk or dazed appearance.

Know what items in your home could be used as an inhalant and monitor their use.

It is never too early to teach children about the dangers of inhalant abuse.

The Virginia Department of Health and CLEAN Inc. have officially begun National Inhalants and Poisons Awareness Week (March 18-24).

A recent study conducted by Monitoring the Future determined that 9.1 percent of eighth-graders, 6.5 percent of 10th-graders, and 4.5 percent of 12th-graders used an inhalant to become intoxicated in the last year.

According to the National Inhalant Prevention Coalition, about one in six students in the United States has used an inhalant as an intoxicant by the time he or she reaches the eighth grade.

Commonly abused inhalants include everyday products such as typewriter correction fluid, felt-tip markers, spray paint, nail polish remover, air freshener, butane, aerosol whipped cream, and cooking spray.

VDH has distributed 300 Inhalant Abuse Prevention Kits to schools to use in raising awareness. These kits contain educational information in print and video formats.

IF YOU FIND YOUR CHILD UNCONSCIOUS OR YOU SUSPECT YOUR CHILD IS UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF AN INHALANT:

Call 911 immediately.

Keep your child calm to reduce cardiac stress.

Try to determine the source of the inhalant so the medical professionals can help more quickly.

If you suspect your child or someone you know might be abusing inhalants, call your Poison Control Center immediately 800-222-1222.

SOURCE: Virginia Department of Health

The department has provided $61,000 in mini-grants to several schools, Safe Kids coalitions, and Poison Control Centers for use in conducting parent education projects in their communities.

In a press release issued on Monday, Lenny Recupero, community injury prevention coordinator in VDH’s Division of Injury and Violence Prevention, said:

“Studies show that nine out of 10 parents are unaware that their children may be abusing inhalants. Intentionally inhaling the chemicals found in many aerosols, solvents, and food products even once could cause serious long-term health problems and death.”

For more information about inhalant abuse, visit the Virginia Department of Health’s Web site www.vdh.virginia.gov, and find “Inhalant Abuse” in the A-Z index. Parents can take a 20-minute interactive training by going to www.inhalantabusetraining.org and clicking on “Virginia Parent Training.”

Additional information can be obtained from the Alliance for Consumer Education at www.inhalant.org and the National Inhalant Prevention Coalition at www.inhalants.org.