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Background

This information has been provided as part of the report from Community Solutions on the 'State-wide Scope - Local Perspectives. Police and Community Responses to Volatile Substance Misuse' report. Additional information from this report is provided in the Police and Community Responses to VSM section.

What are Volatile Substances?

The term 'volatile substances' refers to a range of products that produce chemical gases or fumes at room temperature. In Australia there are around 250 such products [1,2] and many are readily available from retail outlets such as supermarkets, hardware stores, service stations, newsagents and independent retailers. The purchase of these products is legal.

Although there are minor variations in the classification of volatile substances, they are generally grouped under the following headings:

Solvents Glues, paint thinners and removers, dry-cleaning fluids, petrol, contact adhesives, correction fluids, felt pens.
Aerosols Spray paints, insect spray, hair spray, deodorant, air fresheners, cooking oil spray, fabric protector spray. Many of the substances listed here are not, themselves, volatile. The volatile substances associated with products such as these are the propellants contained in pressurised aerosol cans.
Gases Medical anaesthetics (ether, chloroform, halothane, nitrous oxide), refrigerant gases, household gases (butane, bottled domestic gas, cylinder propane gas).
Nitrates Amyl nitrate, butyl nitrate.

The classification of volatile substances has been queried by some researchers [3] and it has been argued that the broad grouping of Nitrates and Gases under the name 'Volatile Substance Misuse' does not sufficiently acknowledge the differences between the effects of the substances nor the issues pertaining to use [1]. The effects of VSM are discussed below.

The concentration of volatile substances in commercially available products varies according to the product. Some products such as toluene (found in spray paints) have very high levels of volatile substance whereas the volatile substances in glues and other adhesives occur in combination with other substances and are not as concentrated.

What is volatile substance misuse (VSM)?

VSM is defined as 'the deliberate inhalation of a gas or of fumes released from a substance at room temperature for the purpose of intoxication.'[1] p19

Whilst a range of substances can be inhaled to produce an intoxicating effect, volatile substances are rarely, if ever used by any means other than inhalation; and it is the fumes they produce at room temperature rather than the substances themselves that are inhaled.

There are a variety of terms commonly used to describe volatile substance misuse. These include terms such as 'sniffing', 'inhaling', 'chroming' and 'huffing'.

'Chroming' is a term that is often used to describe all forms of VSM but has traditionally been associated with spraying paint from an aerosol can into a container then breathing fumes from the container. The term 'chroming' comes from the use of chrome paint that is readily available, inexpensive and according to users, has a less unpleasant taste [1].

'Huffing' is a term commonly used to describe saturation of a cloth with a product such as petrol and breathing the fumes.

The term 'popping' is used in relation to the use of nitrates and refers to the breaking of the vial in which nitrates are often contained.

What are the effects of volatile substance misuse?

It is important to remember that when discussing the effects of VSM and/or any other substance use, that effects of substances do not occur uniformly for everyone. The effects of any type of substance use can vary according to the quantity used, purity used, context in which use occurs and individual factors including mental health, consumption of food, hydration and other factors.

Figure 1: Triangle of Influencing Factors

Figure 1 represents the relationship between the factors that influence the effects of a substance. When considering the effects of any substance, it is important to remember that each of these factors is dependent upon the others in determining the overall effects and harms resulting from use.

The following lists provide a general description of the short and long term effects of VSM.

Short Term Physical Effects

The effects of volatile substances are felt quickly because their route of administration is by inhalation. The nose, mouth, throat and lungs have a rich supply of blood vessels and the effects of an inhaled substance are felt much more quickly than for a substance that is ingested (swallowed).

The blood vessels supplying the respiratory system carry the intoxicant chemicals to the brain and, in the case of volatile substances the functioning of the central nervous system is depressed. This means that the rate at which messages are transmitted to and from the brain are slowed. Not only are physical responses slowed, but mental processes and emotions are also slowed.

Volatile substances are short acting, which means that in order to sustain a state of intoxication, a user must continue to sniff over a period of time. Because of differences substances and styles of use, it is not possible to define an exact length of time that intoxication is felt. The effects of VSM can be felt anywhere between 5 and 45 minutes after use [1].

The common practice of spraying or pouring a product into a bag or other container and breathing in and out with the container held to the face causes the user to re-breathe their exhaled air. This in turn creates an oxygen debt in the lungs that increases the intoxication.

Short-term effects can include one or more of the following [1,6]:

The Victorian Drugs and Crime Prevention Committee's Inquiry into the Inhalation of Volatile Substances [1](p25-26) divides short-term effects into four stages:

  1. Initial - Excited, dizzy, exhilarated, visual and auditory hallucinations, nausea;
  2. Early central nervous system depression - Dullness, disorientation, loss of self-control, blurred vision;
  3. Medium central nervous system depression - Drowsiness, lack of muscular coordination, slurring;
  4. Late central nervous system depression - stupor, delirium, epileptic-type seizures

Sudden Sniffing Death

Some volatile substances particularly toluene and butane can produce irregular and rapid heart rhythms [6,7] that can contribute to sudden heart failure or 'Sudden Sniffing Death'.

Sudden strenuous exercise or sudden fright immediately after inhaling volatile substances can contribute to heart failure.

Long Term Physical Effects

There is controversy surrounding the long-term effects of volatile substance misuse [1], particularly in terms of effects that are reversible and those that are not.

Long-term effects that have been reported [1,6,7,8] include:

Long-term effects that are not reversible include:

Who uses volatile substances and why?

The 2001 Australian Household Survey [9] identified that 3.9% of Australians over the age of 14 years, and 4.2% of Queenslanders had ever used volatile substances. Queensland data from the Australian Secondary Schools Alcohol and Drug (ASSAD) Survey found that 26% of students reported having tried volatile substances, but that only 2% of 17 year old students had used recently.

This supports the widely held belief that most of the young people who try volatile substances, do so in an experimental way and do not continue to use [1,7,8].VSM occurs among a much younger group of the population than does most other drug use [8].

Whilst some use by older individuals is reported, use appears to peak between the ages of 12 - 14.

Some young people can best be described as social users in that their patterns of use are closely linked to their peer group and form a part of the socialising that occurs. Use in social contexts tends to be in public places and involves sharing of bags and substances [8]. Whilst social users tend to use more frequently than experimental users, they tend to grow out of their patterns of using as they mature and the context in which they socialise with peers changes.

Chronic users sometimes use in groups but will also use alone. Their use is very regular and usually for prolonged periods of time. Young people who use chronically usually have a range of associated and inter-related risk factors including:

Risk factors rarely occur in isolation. Many young people become homeless because they choose to leave an abusive home. There are often mental health issues associated with physical, sexual, psychological or other forms of abuse.

There is a broad range of reasons underpinning use, and these may vary according to whether the use is experimental, social or chronic. Reasons that have been documented for use include:

The sense of being intoxicated is an appealing option for young people who are depressed, hungry, lonely and generally disconnected. It is also a way to alleviate boredom.
Last updated 20/08/2007