Inhalants: a looming threat for all teens.

• Author: Volkow, Nora D.
• Position: TEACHER'S EDITION

Dear Teacher:

I have an important warning to share with you. Some of the most dangerous substances abused by your students may be found in the home--and even in schools. As a group, these toxic substances are referred to as inhalants. They are breathable chemical vapors that produce mind-altering effects. Abusers breathe in toxic fumes to achieve a high. Substances that are abused as inhalants include computer cleaner, nail polish remover, glue, and a host of other products that may seem harmless because their intoxicating effects are so totally unconnected to their intended uses.

Inhalants are anything but harmless.

They are dangerous poisons that can kill in an instant. And I am troubled to report that the use of inhalants is on the upswing among young people--bucking the overall trend of decreasing drug abuse among teens. NIDA's most recent Monitoring the Future study, an annual survey of youth drug abuse, found a significant increase in the number of 8th-graders saying they had tried inhalants at least once. Not only that: more than 66 percent of students in this age group didn't think that abusing inhalants once or twice was risky.

Monitoring the Future and other studies indicate that inhalant abuse is particularly prevalent among young teens. Some may abuse inhalants as a substitute for alcohol because they can be obtained easily.

This article, the second installment in this year's edition of Heads Up: Real News About Drugs and Your Body, will alert your students to the real dangers of inhalant abuse and explain to them why the smart choice is never to try inhalants--not even once.

In addition to sharing this article with your classes, there is one other step you can take to keep your students safe from inhalants. Encourage school officials and parents to store household products carefully; they should be keenly aware of the temptations that these dangerous substances pose to young people (as well as the danger of accidental inhalation by very young children).

Thank you for devoting a portion of your valuable classroom time to sharing this key message about inhalants with your students. As ever, we deeply appreciate your willingness to play a vital role in NIDA's mission: helping young people everywhere understand the risks of drugs and the damage they can cause.

Sincerely,

Nora D. Volkow, M.D. Director of N-IDA

In This Installment

* How all inhalants are poisonous chemical vapors.

* How inhalants can cause a condition called sudden sniffing death.

* How inhalants can cause damage to the whole body--including death.

* Why teens need to learn the facts.

Coming Up in the Next Installments

* Dangers of Prescription Drug Abuse

Assessment Quiz

Use the Activity 1 Reproducible within as an Assessment Quiz to determine your students' core base of knowledge and to test what they've learned about inhalants.

Lesson Plans for Student Activities

PREPARATION: Before beginning the lessons, make these photocopies: Two copies for each student of Activity 1 Reproducible for a pre-reading and post-reading quiz, and one copy for each student of Activity 2 Reproducible.

Lesson 1 Heads Up: What Do You Know About Inhalants and Their Dangers?

OBJECTIVE

To give students science-based facts about inhalants; to educate students about the ways in which inhalants can damage the brain and body, sometimes causing death; to help students understand that trying inhalants even once can be dangerous or even deadly; and to assess students' knowledge of the topics before and after reading the article "Poison Vapors: The Truth About Inhalants."

NATIONAL SCIENCE EDUCATION STANDARDS

Life Science; Science in Personal and Social Perspective

LESSON...