Solvent and Volatile Substance Abuse

VSA News from June

2009-06-29T09:29:00.002Z

Hello again, and thanks for taking a few moments to have a look at more headlines from around the world featuring volatile substance abuse.

Teens OK after huffing carbon dioxide
KTAK - Riverton, WY, USA They were huffing Dust-Off. That means they were inhaling carbon dioxide from the can of a cleaner used to remove dust from computers...

Police: Man found in mechanic's shop died "huffing" freon
Lufkin Daily News - Lufkin, TX, USA By JESSICA COOLEY A man found dead inside a mechanic shop Monday morning had apparently been inhaling freon, a substance abuse process known as "huffing. ...

Oenpelli tackles petrol sniffing problem
ABC Online - AustraliaShire chief executive, Mark Griffioen, says the community is meeting to decide on a proposed volatile substance abuse management plan that includes the ...

Playing Russian roulette: Officials say inhalant abuse poses ...
Lufkin Daily News - Lufkin, TX, USA By JESSICA COOLEY Earlier this week a Lufkin man found dead with a trash bag over his head apparently after "huffing" Freon became one of 125 ...

Fargo man sentenced for downtown accident
In-Forum - Fargo, ND, USA Ronald Eugene Willis told police he was huffing dust remover before the accident, according to Cass County District Court documents. ...

Girl, 14, dies after sniffing aerosol can
The West Australian - Perth, Western Australia, Australia A Kununurra girl has died in hospital four days after being found unconscious from sniffing aerosol fumes. Kununurra Acting Sen. ...

Aerosol-related deaths uncommon: Police
ABC Online - Australia Police in Western Australia say aerosol sniffing is not common in the Kimberley region, despite the death of a girl from Kununurra on the weekend. ...

Dangers of Huffing
NTV - Kearney, NE, USA Stalker said it's often kids who seek help for huffing. "A lot of them are even 12, not even teens yet or younger when they start this and then they'll move ...

BBFC announces new guidelines
Digital Spy - UK The board has tightened the 12/12A categories with regards to horror and crude sexual references, while solvent abuse has been specified as a classification ...

Burnley man died after sniffing butane gas
Lancashire Telegraph - Blackburn, England, UK But Mr Gorton, 25, of Lyndhurst Road, returned to sniffing butane shortly before his death on February 19. His mother Carol Duckworth told the inquest that ...

GI man faces motor vehicle homicide charges
KHAS-TV - Hastings, NE, USA(6/23/2009) By Anthony Pura - Investigators in Grand Island believe a man may have been "Huffing" when he crashed his truck killing an elderly woman. ...

Midcoast prevention success gains national attention
VillageSoup Belfast - Belfast,ME,USAInhalant abuse in the Midcoast has become a critical issue – according to the 2006 ... Of those teens who die each year from inhalants, 40 percent die...

Lawmaker: Ban 'Whippets' Sales To Minors
KCRA.com - Sacramento, CA, USA The inhalant has shown to cause death from cardiac arrest or asphyxiation and has been tied to Sudden Sniffing Death Syndrome, according to a news...

Petrol sniffer's death at home raises alarm
The Australian - Sydney, New South Wales, Australia His parents, Elijah and Daisy, say Alfaus was weak from the effects of petrol sniffing, a habit they believed he had kicked. Others around Gunbalanya ...

One out of every 10 students is a drug addict
The News International - Karachi, Pakistan Over 40000 street children are involved in solvent substance abuse in merely four major cities of the country namely Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and the twin ...

Petrol sniffing: plan to punish roadhouses
ABC Online - Australia The Senate committee report has identified 10 sites in and around the region covered by the Government's petrol sniffing strategy that do not stock Opal ...

New petrol sniffing scare
The West Australian - Perth, Western Australia, Australia He said yesterday his Halls Creek counselling service was called in last month to help deal with an outbreak of sniffing by a group aged nine to 13. ...

Crime Branch holds seminar on World Anti-Narcotics Day
Rising Kashmir - Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India “Consumption of cannabis and volatile substances like correction fluid is alarming which is often found among young school children,” the findings reveal. ...

Burglar next door jailed for 2 years
Cambridge Evening News - Cambridge, England, UK James Earle, defending for Payne, said he had an "unhappy history of care and a fragmented family", adding that he had been involved in solvent abuse from ...

Street urchins sniffing glue
The Daily Star - Dhaka, Bangladesh Rag picker Badsha who is not even a teenager, sniffs glue on the railway lines in Karwan Bazar in the capital while a few other children do the same not far ...

VSA News updates from around the world

2009-06-17T09:28:00.002Z

Missing freon in Norfolk, Virginia...Dust Off huffing death in California...glue sniffing in Lincolnshire...

Just some of the news items involving volatile substance abuse over the last few weeks. VSA continues to cause suffering across all areas of society around the world.

Thanks for taking a moment to look at some of these stories.

Freon removed from AC units at Va. Beach apartment complex
WVEC.com (subscription) - Norfolk, VA, USA Air conditioning experts say the Freon could have been taken and used for huffing. If you know anything about these cases, call Crime Solvers at ...

Teens Are 'Huffing' to Get High
KYW1060.com - Philadelphia, PA, USA Another major issue is a problem called huffing. This has rapidly become a popular method for teens to get high but there are many dangers, including brain ...

Teen in debt commits suicide
Straits Times - Singapore By Elena Chong & Jessica Lim AN 18-YEAR-OLD school dropout, in debt from sports betting, fell 13 floors to his death after sniffing glue with his friend. ...

Coroner: Cal State students death was due to huffing
Bakersfield Californian - Bakersfield, CA, USA A huffing death at Cal State Bakersfield has revived a publicly dormant issue in Kern County. Coroner officials confirmed Friday that the March 27 death of ...

Driver crashes three times
Gary Post Tribune - Gary, IN, USA Marshall allegedly told police he had been at a home on Evans Avenue where at least six people were huffing dust remover. He denied huffing it himself but ...

Glue sniffing puts play areas out of bounds
Market Rasen Today - Market Rasen, England, UK GLUE sniffing and other drug abuse in Market Rasen is affecting small children is has emerged, by leaving play areas unusable and out of bounds. ...

Petrol sniffing linked to crime in Oenpelli
ABC Online - Australia The Darwin Magistrates Court has heard a culture of petrol sniffing and property crime has grown amongst young people in a remote Northern Territory ...

Volatile substance abuse news from May 2009

2009-06-01T12:37:00.002Z

Please take a moment to have a look at these recent links to news items featuring volatile substance abuse.

Service station praised for curbing petrol sniffing
ABC Online - Australia The Central Australian Youth Link-Up Service has congratulated a remote service station on its response to petrol sniffing at a nearby Aboriginal community. ...

Review of The Unloved
Communitycare.co.uk - Sutton, UK Life in the children's home is harsh and Morton does not flinch from showing sexual abuse, violence and solvent misuse. Morton admits she was inspired by ...

Whip-its, no laughing matter
Petoskey News-Review - Petoskey, MI, USA “Nitrous oxide is not a safe inhalant when it is not being administered by medical ... “Huffing any of the commonly abused inhalants can cause sudden death. ...

Rapid City Mother Facing Child Abuse Charges
KOTA - Rapid City, SD, USA A Rapid City woman is facing felony child abuse charges for huffing computer cleaner near her three young children. Marcella Dubray was arrested last month ...

North Myrtle Beach man charged with tampering with AC units ...
Myrtle Beach Sun News - Myrtle Beach, SC, USA A 28-year-old man was arrested for tampering with AC units and huffing freon from them days after his roommate reported him missing, according to a North ...

Family Talks Of Teen's Tragic Huffing Death
WSOCtv.com - Charlotte, NC, USA Cooper said Moree later admitted huffing gasoline for a cheap, quick high. She immediately took him to counseling. Two weeks later, he spent the night at ...

Kidnap Suspect Has History Of Huffing
WTVC - Chattanooga, TN, USA We researched Jeremy Mizell's past and learned of his addiction to huffing gasoline. Mizell remains in jail with a one million dollar bond, charged with ...

Warning after Huddersfield man dies sniffing lighter fuel
Huddersfield Examiner - Huddersfield, UK A CORONER has warned of the dangers of inhaling lighter fuel after hearing how butane gas claimed the life of a Huddersfield man. An inquest heard how Adam ...

Cause of woman's death released
Valley Sun - La Cañada Flintridge, CA, USA Cans of compressed gas is often used in inhalant abuse, or huffing. It is the purposeful inhalation of chemical vapors to achieve an altered mental or ...

Cause for concern: Drug, substance abuse catching them younger in city
Expressindia.com - New Delhi, India It's very difficult to quote an exact figure pertaining to the number of total cases, but substance abuse, mostly sniffing correction/white fluid and ...

Jail inmates caught with paint thinner in Eagle County
Vail Daily News - Vail, CO, USA Four inmates confessed to sniffing the paint thinner to get high, police said. The inside of the detention facility was being painted at the time of the ...

Employment opportunities with Re-Solv

2009-05-20T13:53:00.005Z

Re-Solv – The Society for the Prevention of Solvent and
Volatile Substance Abuse

Re-Solv has the following two employment opportunities available:

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT OFFICER

The post is initially for 2 years

An extension will depend on availability of funding.

Applicants will preferably have relevant strategic management
and demonstrable training delivery. Driving licence essential.

Location : Nottingham
Salary : £19,000 per annum
Closing date : 1st June 2009
Interviews will take place on 11th June 2009

PROJECT COORDINATOR
for Scotland

21 hours per week (hours to be agreed)
The post is initially for 2 years
with a possible 3rd year extension

Applicants will preferably have project management experience
and a knowledge of the substance misuse field in Scotland.

Location : Lothian
Salary : £19,500 per annum pro rata
Closing date : 8th June 2009
Interviews will take place 16th June 2009

For further details regarding either of these posts please send an email to:
office@re-solv.org
or ring 01785 817885

VSA news from around the world

2009-05-06T11:08:00.002Z

Please see the links below to global VSA news stories from the last two weeks. Petrol sniffing issues in Australia, glue sniffing in Malaysia and VSA influenced crime in the USA - Volatile substance abuse continues to cause untold amounts of grief and suffering. Just have a look at the first story on the list, about a mother in Scotland who lost her son to aerosol abuse...

Mum warns parents of danger after son dies from sniffing aerosol
Glasgow Sunday Mail - UK - A GRIEVING mum whose son died from sniffing an aerosol has warned parents about the killer lurking in their cupboards. Elaine Dorans lost Scott, 22, ...

Isa substance sniffing worries welfare groups
ABC Online - Australia By Penny Timms - Welfare groups are concerned about the number of young people sniffing volatile substances in Mount Isa in north-west Queensland. ...

CAP: Make glue sniffing an offence
New Straits Times - Persekutuan, Malaysia GEORGE TOWN - The Consumers' Association of Penang has called on the government to make glue sniffing an offence. Its president SM Mohamed Idris said this ...

Man Accused Of Beating, Burning Woman And Kids
WBAL TV - Baltimore, MD, USA - There was evidence that he had been huffing gasoline, Melser reported. Sickle and her children were taken to Carroll Hospital Center with ...

Teens ill after sniffing lpg
Otago Daily Times - Dunedin, New Zealand By Glenn Conway on Sat, 25 Apr 2009 - Police in Balclutha say two young people were lucky not to have died after sniffing liquefied petroleum gas (lpg) ...

Robeson County deputies investigate two bodies found over the weekend
South Carolina Now - South Carolina, USA - Branch says he died from huffing butane gas from cigarette lighters. But the death is ruled “accidental.“ On Sunday, investigators responded to a call about ...

Authorities Catch Woman Allegedly Stealing, Huffing
NBC4i.com - Columbus, OH, USA - A city prosecutor says a Gahanna woman accused of stealing cans of gas duster or canned air was huffing while she was shoplifting the items. ...

Teen inhalant abuse prevention urged
Examiner.com - USA - A new study of teen inhalant abuse suggests a need for more prevention and treatment efforts, showing that nearly 1 million youth in the US used some kind ...

Solvent death alert for 'first timers'
Leigh Today - Leigh, England, UK - Anyone thinking about abusing solvents or who knows of any young person who is thinking about or has already abused volatile substances, should ring the ...

Sask. man jailed after third manslaughter conviction
Calgary Herald - AB, Canada - By age nine he was sniffing solvents. Four years later, he had stopped sniffing and started pulling break-ins. He had his first manslaughter conviction at ...

Director puts petrol sniffing centre stage
The West Australian - Perth, Western Australia, Australia - A low-budget film highlighting the effects of petrol sniffing on Aboriginal communities looks set to reach an international audience after getting rave ...

Solvent abuse on the rise in Wigan

2009-05-05T08:33:00.003Z

01 May 2009

Solvent abuse among Wigan teenagers is rising alarmingly.
And worried substance abuse workers say young people – most of them between 11 and 16 – seem unaware that even first time users are at risk of instant death from inhaling solvents.
Sniffing gases, glues or aerosols kills at least one person every week in the UK, and in Wigan the number of referrals and requests for information about Volatile Substance Abuse (VSA) has risen significantly this month.
Substance abuse workers in the borough are now trying to raise the public's awareness of the potentially lethal practice.
The substances are commonly found in the home and include aerosols containing deodorants, hairspray, air fresheners, gas lighter refills, cleaning fluids, tins or tubes of glue, surgical spirit, certain paints and thinners, dry cleaning fluids and petroleum products.
Due to the ready availability and low cost of these products, young people are a group particularly at risk from the dangers of abusing the substances.
Siobhan Heaton, manager of Wigan Council's Young People's Drug and Alcohol Team (YPDAT) team, said: "Young people need to be aware that there is no safe way of abusing solvents, even first time users are at risk of instant death from using them. There is no safe way to do it."
Death can occur due to heart failure and from choking on vomit, and also due to accidents when high or hallucinating."
It is vital that children and young people understand the serious risks involved with abusing solvents."

By Andrew Cooney on wigantoday.net

In the News - week ending 27th March, 2009

2009-03-31T08:13:00.002Z

The following news stories about solvent and volatile substance abuse were brought to our attention last week. If you have a story that you would like to report please let me know at information@re-solv.org.

NT petrol sniffing rehab centre under threat ABC Online - Australia ELIZABETH JACKSON: Petrol sniffing and substance abuse has been killing and injuring young people across the Northern Territory for decades. ...

Boy drowns after sniffing glue - police Independent Online - Cape Town, South Africa A 16-year-old boy drowned in a dam near the old Leslie prison in Mpumalanga shortly after allegedly sniffing glue, police said on Thursday. ...

YOUTH FIRST COLUMN: Availability of inhalants makes abuse a problem Henderson Gleaner - Henderson, KY, USA No one knows how many people are dying from inhalant abuse every year, but we know millions use inhalants, particularly young people...

Huffing: Expert Ways in on the Seriousness of its Effects State Journal - Charleston, WV, USA MCMECHEN -- The man known throughout the Ohio Valley as the "Serial Huffer" has apparently done it again. Patrick Tribbett, 44, whose paint-stained face has ...

News items for week ending 20th March, 2009

2009-03-23T14:15:00.002Z

As part of a new initiative to keep you up to date with all the news stories involving volatile substance abuse (VSA) that come our way, we are introducing a weekly blog entry of condensed stories. These items come from all over and highlight the degree to which VSA remains a serious problem in many communities around the world.

Hampstead woman has long history of 'huffing' Eagle Tribune - North Andover, MA, USA
By James A. Kimble SALEM, NH — A Hampstead, NH, woman arrested in Methuen this week on charges of inhaling compressed air fumes while at a red light has a ...

Officials Push Ban on Sale of Whipped Cream Chargers to Minors Bell Gardens Sun - Los Angeles, CA,USA
Los Angeles students can also expect to start seeing public service announcements on the dangers of “huffing” or inhaling fumes from common household ...

New Australian fuel 'cuts abuse' BBC News - UKA newly developed fuel has successfully reduced petrol-sniffing in Aboriginal communities in Australia's central desert region, a Senate committee said. ...

Senators say new Australian fuel reduces sniffingThe Associated Press CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — A newly developed fuel has almost wiped out gasoline-sniffing among Aborigines in Australia's central desert and should be made ...

Abuse report: Teens sniffing inhalants iTWire - Australia by William Atkins Although a lower percentage of US teens are sniffing, or huffing, inhalants in 2007, the number of teenagers who have abused inhalants has ...

Brothers Accused Of ‘Huffing’ in Parking Lot Wheeling Intelligencer - Wheeling, WV, USA Officers said the mother of the boys, Alicia Huntsman, claimed she came out of the store to find the pair "huffing" from cans of Century Duster, ...

Woman Puts Children in Danger to Huff Paint WTAJ - Altoona, PA, USA BROCKWAY, JEFFERSON COUNTY - A woman has been found guilty of child endangerment for huffing paint. Anjanette Pifer was huffing paint while her two children ...

Parents, Study Finds Inhalant Use Among Teens Down - New York, NY, USA
In 2007, almost 1.0 million adolescents used inhalants in the past year; this represents 3.9 percent of adolescents, which was lower than the rate in 2003, ...

Do you know signs of inhalant abuse? VillageSoup Belfast - ME, USA AUGUSTA (March 18): The key message of National Inhalants and Poisons Awareness Week, March 15-21: Parents need to know the warning signs of inhalant abuse ...

Belton man looking at fourth charge for huffing paint Anderson Independent Mail - Anderson, SC, USA According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, adolescents and adults do huffing or inhaling various cleaning or painting-related products to get high or ...

Study shows: First drug kids use often found in homes Talk Radio News Service - Washington, DC, USA Today marks the beginning of the 17th annual National Inhalants and Poisons Awareness Week. The National Inhalant Prevention Coalition (NIPC) held a press ...

Calls to widen program preventing petrol sniffingABC Online - AustraliaHealth officials say petrol sniffing can lead to brain damage, disability and even death. In 2005 the Federal Government began subsidising the low-aromatic ...

2009-02-23T09:49:00.002Z

He is one of Preston's most notorious criminals – but 'Toxic Terry' is fast developing a cult following.
Terrence Ashcroft is known throughout Preston for drinking petrol and sniffing lighter fluid, as well as accidentally setting himself on fire.

The 36-year-old is homeless and is currently serving a four-month jail term for breaching his ASBO ... yet also has an online fan club with almost 3,000 members.

A group called the Toxic Terry Fan Club has been formed on social networking site Facebook to chronicle his troubled life.

Under his ASBO he was prohibited from having any petroleum or solvents, as well as from making 999 calls other than in an emergency, and from using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour.

The site features various pictures of Terry with his 'friends', including some of him recovering in hospital.

It also contains spoof tubs of Toxic Terry Adhesive as well as a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The site's message board has been flooded with stories about him as well as messages of support.

One said: "He'll be happy enough inside until April/May when they let him out."

We'll all miss him but it's probably the best place for him in this weather. He's just as famous in prison though as he is on the streets – as soon as he goes in everyone wants to see the legend in the flesh."

Another reads: "Hope Terry has a good hol – won't be long before he is out enjoying himself again."

But Steve Lambert, director of volatile substance abuse charity Re-Solv, said his problems are a "tragedy" which should not be celebrated.

He said: "I think that rather than looking up to this person they should be saying this is the tragedy of a life destroyed."

The message should be about what solvents can do to you. It is a tragedy, but this is the consequence of volatile substance abuse."

Mr Lambert added that, on average, solvent abuse claims the life of one person every week in the United Kingdom.

In 2004 hundreds of leaflets were distributed in Preston city centre to alert people to the terms of an ASBO which Ashcroft had received.

by Ben Robinson in the Lancashire Evening Post

‘Schoolgirl was inhaling aerosols before she died’

2009-01-22T13:04:00.003Z

Witness tells trial of Naomi’s last hours

A 14-YEAR-OLD girl who was found dead in a North-east house was inhaling aerosols on the night she died, a court heard today.
A girl witness who cannot be named, told the court how Naomi Thomson was one of three girls who consumed four bottles of alcopops.
She was today giving evidence at the trial in Peterhead Sheriff Court of Amanda Williamson and Christine Stewart who deny allowing Naomi to take part in a booze binge.

The pair are alleged to have allowed three underage girls – including 14-year-old Naomi Thomson – to binge on alcohol.
Naomi, of Saltoun Place, Fraserburgh, was discovered dead in a Fraserburgh house.
It is alleged the youngster was left “moaning” and “gurgling” and without the proper medical care.
Procurator Fiscal Sandy Hutchison asked the girl witness what the three girls including Naomi had been drinking and where they got the alcohol from.
She said that a bottle of WKD had been given to her by Stewart and that Williamson had provided another.
Williamson also gave the girls permission to drink two further bottles of alcopop from her fridge. Mr Hutchison asked the girl if anything else might have affected Naomi.
She replied: “She was inhaling aerosols.”
She said heard she had inhaled them through a towel in a bathroom.
The court earlier heard the schoolgirl said she was paid with alcopops instead of cash for doing a household chore for Williamson.
The girl agreed to help her in exchange for two bottles of blue WKD.
Williamson, of 34 Watermill Road, and Stewart of 2 Marconi Terrace both Fraserburgh, are alleged to have had three teenage girls including Naomi in their care on November 18 and 19, 2006 and allowed them to drink alcohol.
The charge further alleges Stewart, 49, failed to care for Naomi while she was staying at her home and failed to realise the teenager was intoxicated with alcohol and get the necessary medical help.

The trial continues.

By Lynn Kernan in The Evening Express

Study finds Irish schoolchildren aged 10 are sniffing glue

2009-01-08T12:24:00.002Z

By Eilish O'Regan Health Correspondent
Wednesday January 07 2009

A small number of children, some aged as young as 10, have admitted sniffing glue, according to a new study.
The extent of experimentation with glue and solvents among primary school children is a source of concern given its potentially lethal consequences, the research warned.
The study, which involved 1,254 children in 43 schools, found that 4.2pc admitted having abused glue or solvents "at least once or twice".
The children surveyed in Limerick, Clare and north Tipperary ranged in age from 10-14 years and were split between fifth and sixth class.
It found that 1pc reported they had used cannabis, the authors, from Limerick Institute of Technology and the Department of Public Health in the HSE West, said.
"Only two respondents reported having used cannabis more than once or twice," the 'Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine' said.
More than eight in 10 said they had heard of cannabis, but 16.2pc said they had not.
The report said that seven in 10 reported they had ever taken alcohol, even if it was only a sip. However, only 10.8pc reported having consumed a whole alcoholic drink.
"When asked whether they had ever had so much alcohol they were drunk, 6pc admitting to having been drunk."
taken from Independent.ie

95% of Kathmandu street children sniff glue

2009-01-05T14:13:00.002Z

KATHMANDU, Jan 2 - With the onset of winter, it is usual for people to buy warm clothes and heaters to warm up their rooms and snuggle up in the quilt till late morning.
However, looking at skimpily dressed street children, you may wonder how they survive the freezing cold of Kathmandu. But they have their own
way of keeping warm: they sniff dendrite.
Bibek Moktan, 12, who hails from Hetauda, warms up his winter morning by blowing into and inhaling from a plastic bag containing dendrite.
"I sniff one tube (50 grams) of dendrite a day," said Moktan. "When I first tried sniffing, I felt a current flowing inside me, but slowly I got used to it."
Kale Pariyar, 15, from Kalimati, was also sniffing from a dirty plastic with glue inside it. "I sniff, because I want to enjoy as others do,"said Pariyar.
Bibek and Kale are not the only ones who sniff glue to keep warm and to be happy. There are hundreds of children on the streets of the capital addicted to glue despite various health hazards associated with it.
According to a research conducted by Child Workers in Nepal Concerned Centre (CWIN), glue sniffing affects various organs including the brain, nervous system, eyes, blood, lungs and heart and even causes death.
However, the number of glue sniffers has gone up dramatically not only on the streets of the capital but also in other urban areas.
According to a CWIN survey, around 95 percent of 1,200 street children in the capital sniff glue, whereas there were only 51.7 percent street children who sniffed in 2002.
Director of Voice of Children, an non-governmental organisation, Krishna Thapa said, "Street children suffer various psychological problems in society before they end up on the streets. They think sniffing glue empowers them to face any vulnerable situation on the street."
Director Thapa also said, "Dendrite is easily accessible in both hardware shops and from street vendors at a very cheap price."
"We have seen street vendors selling small packets of dendrite targeting other street children. But we have no authority to take legal action against them." "The government does not have any legal agency to discourage such acts."
"Until and unless the government builds a strong mechanism to control the sale of glue; and until all organisations working for children ally to create pressure on the government, the problems will not be solved," said Sanu Giri, Programme Officer at CWIN.

Taken from Kantipur.com

REMINDER: Volatile Substance Abuse – we want your vie

2008-12-02T14:09:00.002Z

Dear Colleague

We recently sent you an email asking for your help with a questionnaire about volatile substance abuse (the deliberate inhalation of volatile products such as glues gases and aerosols to achieve intoxication).

We have had a good response so far – and if you have already completed the questionnaire, my apologies for troubling you, please ignore this email.

If you have overlooked the previous email, I would be very grateful if you would take a just few minutes to answer the online questionnaire. Please follow this link, which will take you to the questionnaire, and follow the instructions there:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=gqTqhsDNSS1FBntywsaSog_3d_3d

Thank you very much for your response. Your help will be very valuable to Re-Solv in planning their future work.

If you want to discuss this evaluation or ask any questions, then please get in touch with me.

With my thanks and best wishes

Richard Ives

educari

With a grant from the Big Lottery, Re-Solv, the UK charity concerned with VSA, is investigating professionals’ views on VSA so that the organisation can help you to in your work. educari is carrying out this evaluation for Re-Solv. Your responses are confidential. We will not reveal individual identifiable responses to Re-Solv. This is an independent evaluation and we operate according to ethical guidelines.

US show Intervention features inhalant abuser

2008-11-19T09:17:00.006Z

She was a pre-med student on her way to becoming a surgeon, but the trauma of being molested as a child and her parents' brutal divorce haunted Allison. She started to inhale computer dust remover, which is potentially fatal with each breath. Her erratic behavior and absence from classes got Allison dropped from the pre-med program. Allison is currently inhaling up to ten cans of dust remover a day. Can interventionist Jeff help Allison and her family?

To watch this programme on YouTube, click the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufOFzKT5v1Q.

Volatile Substance Abuse – we want your views

2008-11-19T09:15:00.000Z

Dear Colleague

Re-Solv is the UK charity concerned with volatile substance abuse (the deliberate inhalation of volatile products such as glues gases and aerosols to achieve intoxication).

With a grant from the Big Lottery, Re-Solv is investigating professionals’ views on VSA so that the organisation can help you to in your work.

As an independent research company, we are helping Re-Solv with this task. You can help us, by completing an on-line questionnaire – which will only take you a few minutes.

We would be very grateful if you would take a just few minutes to answer this questionnaire. Please follow this link, which will take you to the questionnaire, and follow the instructions there:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=gqTqhsDNSS1FBntywsaSog_3d_3d

Your responses are confidential. We will not reveal individual identifiable responses to Re-Solv.

Thank you very much for your response. Your help will be very valuable to Re-Solv in planning their future work.

If you want to discuss this evaluation or ask any questions then please get in touch with me.

With my thanks

Richard Ives

educari

educari is carrying out this evaluation for Re-Solv. This is an independent evaluation and we operate according to ethical guidelines.

Michigan huffing death

2008-11-03T11:50:00.002Z

IONIA, Michigan (WOOD) -- After her son's death, apparently from huffing or inhaling a computer dusting spray, Beverly Helms started researching.
She wanted to know more about what Michael Meek had done -- and what it did to him.
Some of what she found makes her worry others are learning exactly how to make the same mistake. Countless online videos capture teenagers and adults huffing.
"There were even a couple of moms spraying it in the face of little toddlers," Helms told 24 Hour News 8.
She registered with one Web site to try and reach the people who posted the videos.
"Just to say this is what happened my little boy," she said. "A 9- or 10-year-old looks at that and thinks, 'It's not going to hurt me,' and they become another statistic."
The statistics are sad. The National Inhalant Prevention Coalition estimates as many as 125 people die from huffing across the country every year. Even one use can kill, damaging the heart, brains and lungs.

Helms found her son, Michael, slouched at the end of his bed one morning in September.
"They found a can of computer duster under his hand," she said.
And so many teens expose themselves to that risk. The 2007 National Survey on Drug Use and Health concludes roughly 10 percent of US teenagers have huffed in their lifetimes.
"I just want parents to be aware," Helms said.
Aware, she says, because her son wasn't into other drugs or alcohol. His friends told her he always said no thanks. But something made him think huffing would be safe.
And Helms is worried online videos could convey the same false message.
"I think it's absolutely scary and ridiculous that they can even keep them on there," she said. "I would like to see them off."
The Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America called on one online video site -- YouTube -- to take huffing videos down. The group says it worked when enough members filed complaints. A group spokeswoman said she believes if moms like Helms find new videos and complain, they too could succeed in getting the videos removed.
Meek was known around town for his love of skateboarding.

taken from woodtv.com

US Teen Pleads Guilty After Crash Injured Friends

2008-09-26T08:39:00.002Z

SPARTANBURG COUNTY, S.C. -- An Upstate teenager is headed to prison after pleading guilty to two counts of DUI resulting in great bodily injury, but alcohol was not involved.
Heather Hewitt was accused of crashing her car after huffing keyboard cleaner, Spartanburg County police said.
Five friends were passengers in the car that Hewitt was driving, and two of them were critically injured, police said.
Prosecutors said Maranda Poteat will never see through her left eye, and Jamie Maxwell, who suffered a traumatic brain injury, can't talk and is only semi-conscious.
Both girls were passengers in the Toyota Camry Hewitt was driving on a Sunday in September 2007.
"She cannot feed herself. She cannot take care of herself," Maxwell's mother, Pam Maxwell, told the judge.
She said her family is left with almost $700,000 in medical bills so far, and she said she wants Hewitt to be held responsible.
"I don't hate her," Maxwell said "I feel sorry for her because she doesn't value life."
Hewitt entered an Alford plea of guilty, which is an admission that she could be proven guilty in a trial.
Hoping for leniency, her attorneys said she is also a victim because one of her friends in that car gave her the keyboard duster.
Half the courtroom was filled with supporters of Hewitt, and they spoke to the judge about her character, saying she never set out to do any harm.
"She regrets everything that happened every day," Hewitt's boyfriend, Josh Robinson, told the judge.
Sentenced under the Youthful Offender Act, Hewitt will be turned over to the state Department of Corrections and will serve up to six years.
"This has been extremely difficult for her. It's not something she planned on or wanted to happen. It was unfortunate, and we're sad for all involved," Hewitt's third cousin said.
"I wish we could send a message to folks: Any kind of inhalant, drugs or alcohol -- they need to know what ramifications they have," Spartanburg County Principal Deputy Solicitor Barry Barnette said.
The defense brought up questions over whether the duster should actually be considered a drug and whether it meets the statute for felony DUI.
Barnette said this may be the first case of its kind in South Carolina, and his office will prosecute any case like this in the future, he said.

taken from Fox Carolina

‘Excessive aerosol use’ caused girls' house blast

2008-08-12T12:43:00.002Z

AN EXPLOSION which left four teenage girls critically ill in hospital for several weeks was caused by the “excessive use of a large number of aerosol deodorants”, an official inquiry will announce today.
A joint investigation was launched by Dyfed-Powys Police and Mid and West Wales Fire Service after the fire, which blew the roof off a terraced house in Llanelli on December 17.
A file was also submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service, who have decided there is insufficient evidence to prosecute anyone for causing the fire.
But an action plan will now be launched to warn young people of the dangers of aerosols.
Sisters Anya, 15, and Kira Evans, 14, and Kimberly Patterson, 15, and Nadine Fardon, 14, were severely burnt when the fire tore through the sisters’ home in Old Castle Road.
Stunned neighbours reported at the time how the girls ran screaming into the street after the explosion which closed the entire road.
The teenagers spent weeks in intensive care, underwent 10 major skin graft operations – some of which lasted up to a day at a time – had surgery to their hands, arms and legs and were treated for burns on their faces.
They received occupational therapy and physiotherapy, and psychologists were on hand to offer emotional support to the teenagers and their families.
They were also put on special diets, while doctors said it is likely they will need further operations in the future and will continue to be treated on an outpatient basis until they are 18 or 19.
The girls were unable to walk for more than a month after the accident, and Kimberley’s mother, Katrina, told how she burst into tears when she saw her daughter walk again.
“I wasn’t expecting it and I started crying – I was overwhelmed,” she said.
They were gradually eased back into their lessons at Coedcae Comprehensive School and volunteers in Llanelli raised thousands of pounds towards a fund for the girls and their families.
In a joint statement released today, Dyfed-Powys Police and the fire service said: “The investigation concluded that the cause of the fire was as a result of the excessive use of a large number of aerosol deodorants in a confined space being accidentally ignited.
“The use of the aerosols led to the accumulation of flammable gas and vapours in a bedroom without sufficient ventilation.
“The ignition source was a cigarette lighter.
“Following a full investigation, Dyfed-Powys Police submitted a file of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service.
“The CPS has instructed that there is insufficient evidence to prosecute any person.
“Dyfed-Powys Police and Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service would like to warn people of the dangers of aerosols.
“We are working together with local agencies in a bid to prevent this type of tragic incident from happening in the future.
“Educating young people about the dangers and potential consequences of inappropriate use of aerosols will form part of future community safety education programmes.
“The four girls have now been released from hospital. Their families have asked the media to respect their privacy.”
Mark James, chair of the Carmarthenshire Community Safety Partnership, said: “The partnership is committed to raising awareness of the dangers of volatile substances such as the inappropriate use of aerosols.
“These are also highly flammable so great care must be taken in their day-to-day use, particularly in confined spaces. Parents need to be vigilant about excessive use and we all need to make our children aware of the dangers of misusing aerosols.
“Talks are already given to young people and as part of the partnership’s joint commissioning strategy for substance misuse, an action plan for children and young people will be developed to include additional ways of tackling this important concern.”

taken from WalesOnline

Deaths from VSA in the UK rose in 2006 to 49 from 45 in 2005

2008-08-01T13:53:00.003Z

A report released today by the Division of Community Health Sciences at St George’s, University of London, reveals that altogether in 2006 there were 49 deaths in the UK associated with volatile substance abuse. The report "Trends in Death Associated with Abuse of Volatile Substances 1971-2006", which was prepared for the Department of Health, describes trends in death associated with the abuse of gas fuels, aerosols, glues, anaesthetic agents and other solvent based products.
In 2006, butane from all sources accounted for 33 of the 49 deaths and of these butane cigarette lighter refills formed the largest group. Five deaths in 2006 were as a result of asphyxia associated with the inhalation of nitrous oxide.
In under-18 year olds there were six deaths resulting from volatile substance abuse in 2006, compared with eight in 2005. Two of these deaths were associated with butane cigarette lighter refills, the sale of which to under-18s is prohibited by legislation.
Deaths were generally sudden and in 2006 were three times more common in males than females. Of the 49 deaths in 2006, ten were suicides involving the inhalation of a volatile substance. For both adults and children volatile substance abuse leading to death usually took place in the home.

Re-Solv is pleased to note that deaths in the under-18 year olds continues to fall. With the introduction this year of our Toxic Agents Primary School pack we are in the best possible position to help keep those figures down.

There is a worrying trend in deaths of long term adult abusers and in VSA being used in suicide. These difficult to address areas will need a strong focus in the coming months and years ahead.

For further details of the St George's Report please click here.

If you would like any further information on Re-Solv's work please see our website or email information@re-solv.org.

Huffing leads to Indiana car explosion

2008-06-10T10:56:00.000Z

Three area teens are in an Indianapolis hospital today after a car they were in exploded Friday night in Lafayette.

According to police, the three girls were huffing from an aerosol can shortly before the explosion.
Lafayette Police were called to an explosion in the 2000 block of Elk Street on the city's north side at 10:13 p.m. Friday.
According to Lafayette Police Lt. Jim Taul, three 17 year-old girls had been huffing from an aerosol can inside a parked Honda Accord "when one of them decided to light a cigarette."
The flame ignited the fumes, causing an explosion that blew the windows out of the car, he said. "People heard the explosion a block away."
Since they are under 18, the names of the girls are not being released. All three were transported to Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, Taul said. The extent of their injuries is unclear.
It's not clear if the three will face any charges, Taul said.

taken from jconline.com

New primary school resource launched

2008-04-24T13:55:00.002Z

Re-Solv is proud to present “Toxic Agents” - the most detailed resource for primary school age children the we have ever produced.
Toxic Agents has been put together by Re-Solv’s Youth Liaison Officer, Kay Carter, following research and consultation with primary school teachers and students. The resulting pack is one of the most comprehensive available and features wonderful design work by Helen Javes who has worked on Shaun the Sheep and other Aardman Animations productions.
In the report Drugs : Guidance For Schools, the DfES has stated “Drug education should start in primary schools...The transition from primary to secondary is particularly important, given the pattern of young people’s drug use; drug education in Years 7 and 8 should reinforce and build upon drug education in primary schools... VSA needs to be addressed at an early point in the drug education curriculum because of the potential for early onset experimentation, the availability of products open to abuse within the home and school, and the particular dangers posed by VSA.”

The pack includes a 70 page booklet designed to help teachers get the most out of the teaching materials. Also included are a 7 minute DVD, 30 leaflets, 30 character postcards and stickers.
The pack retails for £35 and can be ordered from the publications section on our website.
www.re-solv.org

Grieving Mom: Can of compressed air can kill

2008-03-20T16:26:00.002Z

Kaitlyn Vallery was a 16-year-old girl fighting a drug problem. She’d tried marijuana and cocaine but that’s not what killed her said her mother Cheri. “Heard the water running in the bathroom still and that’s when the sense of panic came over me.”
Panic from the water running too long after Kaitlyn went to take a bath.
They found her with a can of Freon-laced compressed air dusting spray nearby.
Kaitlyn, her mother says, had inhaled it to get high, passed out and drowned. “We were in the hospital saying our final goodbyes to her.”
Goodbyes voiced two years ago. But for Cheri and Jon Vallery the pain and the promises to their daughter live on.
“I made a promise to her that night that I would do whatever I could to make sure no one else had to go through the pain the heartache we were feeling that night,” said Cheri.
That was the beginning of Kaitlyn’s Promise.
It is a website that educates teens about the dangers of inhalant abuse.
It is a problem on par with illegal drug use. It’s where spray cans, lighters, and other household products are the source of a cheap and sometimes deadly high.
The latest studies have shown that by eighth grade one in five teenagers have tried this.
And they’re not just learning it from their friends.
Like anything else these days, it’s glamorized on the internet too.
To fight this, the Vallery’s will take their story to Washington DC later this week.
They plan to tell a nationwide audience about the dangers and about the daughter they lost. “Oh I have to. I’m still her mom and this is what I’m doing for her, “ said Cheri.
She does that while hoping no other mom will have to do the same.

taken from KHOU.com

US Teens Prefer Inhalants to Marijuana, Researchers Say

2008-03-20T10:55:00.002Z

Studies by the National Inhalant Prevention Coalition, with sponsorship from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, revealed that kids on the brink of being teenagers are using inhalants more often than marijuana and prescription painkillers.
According to these studies, inhaling common household products such as shoe polish, glue, aerosol air fresheners, hair sprays, nail polish, paint solvents, degreasers, gasoline and lighter fluid now appear to be the preferred way to get high in this age group.
About 3.4 percent of 12-year-olds reported using an inhalant, while only 1.1 percent tried marijuana, and 2.7 percent took prescription painkillers in 2007. That trend continued with 13-year-olds, with 4.8 percent using inhalants, 4 percent trying marijuana, and 3.9 percent taking prescription painkillers. By age 14, inhalant use dropped behind the use of marijuana, painkillers and other drugs.
“Our data show that 1.1 million 12-to-17-year-olds acknowledge using inhalants last year. Our data also indicate that there are almost 600,000 teenagers [who] start using inhalants annually,” Dr. H. Westley Clark, director of the U.S. Center for Substance Abuse, said Thursday, according to Forbes.
Adolescent girls seem particularly vulnerable to inhalant abuse. According to the report, 41 percent of hospital admissions for inhalant abuse involved teenage girls, whereas only 30 percent of hospital admissions for non-inhalant drug abuse involved teen girls.
Dr. Clark added that short-term effects of inhalants include dizziness, nausea, confusing and lack of coordination. They can also cause neurological damage, along with sudden death from cardiac reactions or lack of oxygen. An exact number of adolescent dying from inhalants is not known though.
“Once kids start using inhalants, they are more susceptible to using other drugs like marijuana, methamphetamine and cocaine as they age. Inhalants can produce psychological effects, but because they're readily accessible they are substitutes for other drugs,” Dr. Clark said.
He urged parents to be aware that preteens and young teenagers are at risk for using inhalants, just as older teens are, and they should be discussing these issues with their children.
“Parents should be able to clearly explain that inhalants are not drugs of abuse, but deadly poisons that while they may produce an effect also produce unintended consequences,” Dr. Clark said.
The studies also found that forty five percent of teens who used inhalants suffer from psychiatric disorders, compared with 29 percent of teens who used other drugs.

taken from eFluxMedia

Essex Shop owners warned over solvent sales

2008-03-06T12:19:00.002Z

03 March 2008 06:47

by RODDY ASHWORTH

SHOP owners in Essex will be punished if they sell solvents to people under the age of 18, trading standards officers have warned.

It follows random testing during which 10% of shops supplied a youngster with lighter fuel. Throughout February Essex County Council Trading Standards conducted test sales for solvents at 50 stores across the county, using an underage volunteer.

Five stores broke the law by agreeing to sell the test purchaser, a 14-year-old girl.

On each occasion the volunteer, who was supervised throughout the process, attempted to purchase butane lighter refills.

Statistics show that these account for the majority of deaths among people using them for intoxication purposes, due to volatile substance abuse (VSA). A number of shops visited also indicated that they would have made the sale, but were out of stock or unable to locate their supply.

Trading Standards officers re-visited these retailers to advise them on age restricted sales. The stores visited included both smaller independent stores and major retail chains.

Trading Standards officers said they were concerned that some retailers still believe that the legal age for purchasing solvents is 16, rather than 18.

Statistics compiled by St George's University of London show that VSA is responsible for more deaths amongst young people aged 10-16 than “conventional” illegal drugs.

Roger Walters, county council executive member for Trading Standards said: “Solvent abuse is a serious problem, which is why these products should not be made available to young people under the age of 18. “There is simply no excuse for stores to flout the law on this.“We are planning to conduct more test sales for solvents, and any retailers who continue to ignore our warnings can expect to be punished severely.”

taken from Suffold & Essex online

Lighter fumes kill Caernarfon 23-yr-old

2008-02-28T14:31:00.001Z

Feb 28 2008

A YOUNG man has died after sniffing lighter fuel in a tragic experiment which went wrong.
Gareth William Watkin Hughes, 23, had been sniffing the fuel in the back of a friend’s car near Bangor.
To their horror, he stopped breathing and collapsed.
His friends called for an ambulance which rushed him to Ysbyty Gwynedd, Bangor.
Doctors put him on a life support machine but it was too late to save him.
Gareth, a mechanic of Cil Isaf, Caernarfon, known to his friends as Gags, died later that night, last Saturday.
His family said yesterday that they wished to warn others of the dangers of sniffing lighter fuel.
Gareth, one of seven siblings, had gone out with friends, who, it is believed, were experimenting with the lighter fuel in a friend’s car at Glasinfryn near Bangor.
Gareth’s fiancée, Ceri Roberts, 18, of Yr Hendre, Caernarfon, said she first knew something was wrong when she received a phone call from one of his friends telling her to go to hospital.
She told the Daily Post: “We don’t know much at the moment but believe he’d taken lighter fuel.
“He’d gone with a mate to see one of their other friends.
“One of his friends phoned me to tell me to go to casualty.
“He was a lovely young man and liked going out with his friends.
“He was great with kids – his nephews and niece – and they adored him.
“When we got engaged Gareth said he’d marry me one day.
“We had planned on having children.”
The couple had been together for four years.
One of Gareth’s sisters, Emma Hughes, 26, from Hiraul, Bangor, said: “Unfortunately Gareth and his friends were playing around with lighter fuel – with tragic consequences for him.
“It was the first time he’d ever done it.
“He stopped breathing. His friend phoned for an ambulance.
“He collapsed and was put on a life-support machine but his heart wasn’t working.
“We want to warn people about the dangers of experimenting or playing with lighter fuel.
“We hope this will be a lesson for others.
“It was a terrible and unexpected shock.
“An inquest is going to be held into what was a tragic accident. From what we know, the post-mortem has not yet been concluded.”
Emma added: “He was easy-going and always had a smile on his face. He always wore a baseball hat.
“He liked messing about with and fixing cars. His other interests were fishing and playing golf.”
Gareth worked as a mechanic at Vixen Steels, Llanberis.
He had been brought up in Dyffryn Nantlle and attended Ysgol Talysarn and Ysgol Baladeulyn before the family moved to Caernarfon and he went to Ysgol Syr Hugh Owen.
Since the tragedy his friends have painted “In loving memory” on the side of his souped-up Nova car.
A North Wales police spokeswoman yesterday confirmed that there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding Gareth Hughes’s death and the coroner had been informed.

by Hywel Trewyn, Daily Post