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

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TABLE 5. United Kingdom VSA-related deaths from other products.<br />

Product Deaths<br />

Typewriter correcti<strong>on</strong> fluid 92<br />

Fire extinguishers 49<br />

Anesthetics 29<br />

Petrol (gasoline) 18<br />

Adhesive plaster remover 17<br />

Dry cleaning fluids 16<br />

Domestic cleaning fluids 15<br />

Industrial solvents/degreasers 12<br />

Carb<strong>on</strong> tetrachloride 1O<br />

Paint thinner/stripper 5<br />

Alkyl nitrites 5<br />

Unspecified 34<br />

Total 301<br />

fatal cardiac arrhythmia. The presence <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> vomitus (vomiting being a<br />

comm<strong>on</strong> terminal event) or a plastic bag sometimes leads to asphyxia<br />

appearing <strong>on</strong> the post mortem report. Faced with this sort <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> evidence,<br />

any analysis <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the precise mechanism <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> death needs to be treated with<br />

cauti<strong>on</strong> (figure 8). However, overall for the gas fuels, aerosols, and other<br />

products, about 20 percent <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> deaths involve inhalati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> vomit, about<br />

15 percent are associated with a plastic bag, around 60 percent are<br />

attributed to direct toxic effects (arrhythmia?), and <strong>on</strong>ly 5 percent involve<br />

trauma. In c<strong>on</strong>trast, 40 percent <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> deaths from adhesives are from trauma,<br />

and <strong>on</strong>ly 20 percent are from direct toxic effects. Sometimes suicide can<br />

be attributed to a change in mental state caused by VSA. Cases where a<br />

volatile compound is used merely as an agent to cause death are<br />

excluded.<br />

219

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