As a leading manufacturer of air duster and aerosol products, Max Professional™ is committed to educating the public about the dangers of inhalant abuse, commonly known as huffing. It is important that consumers of aerosol products and the general public (including teachers, parents and children) understand the seriousness of this illicit practice.
At Max Professional™ we believe that, through education, we can be proactive in warning of the dangers of inhalant abuse and help to prevent harm to adults and children.
First and foremost, the labels on our aerosol cans specifically state:
INHALANT ABUSE IS ILLEGAL
AND CAN CAUSE PERMANENT INJURY OR BE FATAL.
PLEASE USE OUR PRODUCT RESPONSIBLY.
KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN.
THE INTENTIONAL MISUSE BY DELIBERATELY
INHALING CONTENTS MAY BE FATAL!
It is the intent of Max Professional to help educate the public about the dangers of inhalant abuse. There have been many fatalities related to this illicit practice despite current efforts to inform people of the dire consequences of such behavior. Please use our product responsibly and remember to keep it out of reach of children or other dependant individuals.
Inhalant use refers to the intentional breathing of gas or vapors with the purpose of reaching a psychoactive effect or mind-altering effect. Inhalants are legal everyday products that have a useful purpose but can be misused. These products include over 1000 commercial products, such as paint, glue, ink correction fluid, air freshener, and cooking spray, which are very dangerous when inhaled.
1. Solvents: These can be for either industrial or household uses
Adhesives: model airplane glue, rubber cement, household glue
Aerosols: spray paint, air fresheners, fabric protector, and computer keyboard cleaners
Solvents and Gases: nail polish remover, paint thinner, gasoline,
Cleaning Agents: dry cleaning agents, spot remover
Food Product: vegetable-cooking spray, dessert whipping spray
Gases: nitrous oxide, butane, propane, and helium
2. Anesthetics: nitrous oxide, ether, chloroform
3. Nitrates: Amy Poppers, Snappers,
Butyl: Rush Climax
It is never too early to teach children and students about the dangers of inhalant abuse. Parents often do not educate their children until it is too late and they have become habituated to inhalants or even resulted in a fatality. It is important to understand that young people may use inhalants as a cheap accessible substitute for alcohol.
We encourage you to review the following link on tips for speaking children regarding inhalant abuse:
http://www.inhalants.com/teacher.htm
Although they differ in their chemical constituency, most inhalants produce short-term effect of intoxication, similar to that achieved with alcohol consumption. Regardless of whether the product is inhaled through the nose or mouth, the effect of intoxication only last several seconds unless it is repeatedly inhaled, whereby the high is prolonged. In fact, if sufficient amounts are inhaled, nearly all solvents and gases will produce anesthesia, sensory disturbances, and can ultimately result in unconsciousness.
It has been clearly documented that chronic long-term inhalant abusers suffer from cognitive impairment and neurological dysfunction as well as other psychological and social problems. The specific detrimental consequences on the body range depending on the type of inhalant abused, the frequency and any other adjunct chemicals ingested/inhaled.
Here is a description of some of the potential harmful effects of inhaling specific solvents:
Toluene (found in spray paint and glue)
•brain damage
•central nervous system disturbance
•hearing impairment
•liver and kidney damage
Trichloroethylene (found in correction fluid)
•hearing impairment
Hexane (found in glues, gasoline) and Nitrous Oxide (whipped cream cylinders)
•limb spasms
Benzene (gasoline)
•bone marrow damage
Methylene Chloride (paint thiers and varnish removers) and Nitrates (poppers, rush)
•Asphyxiation
•suffocation
•coma
Yes. Sniffing highly concentrated amounts of certain inhalants can lead to heart failure (cardiac arrest) and death within minutes of prolonged use of inhalants. There are two possible mechanisms which willresult in a fatality:
1. Sudden Sniffing Death (SSDS)
This is the most common killer of inhalant abusers and can even occur when the victim is trying inhalants for the first time. In fact, most causes of death related to inhalants, are with first time users experimenting with these products. Some deaths occur because the individual is frightened or startled while inhaling the product (for example, if they are discovered by an authority figure or even startled by their own hallucination). This causes a surge of epinephrine or adrenaline rush which creates a heightened sensory experience. This surge also stimulates an increase in heart rate and blood pressure, which overtaxes the heart and can cause a cardiac arrhythmia resulting in a massive heart attack
2. Hypoxia causing death
Hypoxia is defined as a lack of oxygen to the heart and/or brain, which will eventually result in death if not quickly, corrected. This can occur when the abuser is huffing from a plastic bag and fresh air is not inhaled. Remember that some inhalant gases are heavier than air and, if regular breathing is not maintained, the gases will remain in the lungs and not be expelled out naturally resulting in hypoxia.
