Epidemiology of Inhalant Abuse - Archives - National Institute on ...

propellant. In the United Kingdom, products with a high propellant
content, principally deodorants, pain relief spray, and air fresheners,
are preferred (table 3). There is a potential hazard from exposure to
aluminum chlorhydrate in deodorants. Based on the mortality data,
abuse <strong>of</strong> spray paint is rare in the United Kingdom, in marked
contrast to the United States (Goodwin 1988; Streicher et al. 1981;
Voigts and Kaufman 1983) and Japanese experience (Suwaki, this
volume).
3. Solvents from adhesives: Contact adhesives containing toluene are
responsible for most <strong>of</strong> the deaths from the abuse <strong>of</strong> glue in the
United Kingdom (table 4). The adhesives contain many other
volatile components in addition to toluene, which, although probably
not responsible for intoxication, are important when assessing
possible toxicity from chronic VSA.
4. Other products: A wide range <strong>of</strong> other products are misused
(table 5). A major cause <strong>of</strong> death is misuse <strong>of</strong> typewriter correction
fluid or its thinner, which once contained 1, 1, 1-trichloroethane.
<strong>Abuse</strong> <strong>of</strong> fire extinguishers containing BCF is an important if highly
TABLE 3. United Kingdom VSA-related deaths from aerosols.
Product Deaths
Deodorant 111
Pain relief spray 53
Air freshener 24
Hair spray 16
Cleaning fluid 12
Paint 5
Glue 3
Unspecified aerosol 27
Total 255
217