Pubdate: Sat, 18 Nov 2000 Source: Hamilton Spectator (CN ON) Copyright: The Hamilton Spectator 2000 Contact: http://www.hamiltonspectator.com/ Author: Jocelyn Bell SNIFFING AWAY THE MISERY TRAGEDY OF THE INNU: The child who huffs gas or glue from a bag can be as young as eight or not much older than twice that -- usually poor, a victim of prejudice, deprivation or abuse -- and dicing with death. The child opens his mouth and holds a plastic bag containing a few splashes of gasoline against his face. The gas was meant for a motor boat or a snowmobile. But it can also take away the pain. With a quick intake of breath, toxic fumes are gulped down into pink lungs. The vapours make their way into the bloodstream and rapidly reach the brain and other organs. His breathing and heartbeat slows down. Within 30 seconds he feels drunk, a euphoria that will last four or five minutes. As he exhales, his warm and reeking breath heats the gas in the bag and more gases evaporate into his mouth. He could be from any level of society and from any part of the world. He could be one of the 40 troubled children that Labrador Innu leaders have asked the Newfoundland government to take from their homes to save them from addiction. He takes another breath. Some of the toxins in his body will be broken down and excreted through the kidneys. Some of it will be sweated out or exhaled unchanged. The scent of gasoline will hang on his breath for hours. If he continues, his speech will slur, his ears will ring, he'll get dizzy and have trouble focusing his eyes. He could become disoriented and nauseated. He could hallucinate or just get a headache. Sniffing could be lethal if he falls asleep and asphyxiates on the bag. It could kill him if, in his intoxication, he believes he's invincible and steps into traffic. Heart attack is also a real possibility if the abuser is startled or tries to run while he's high. Solvent abuse is predominantly a children's addiction. Most users are male and between eight and 16. They sniff together as a social activity. Gasoline, paint thinner, Liquid Paper, glue, shoe polish, aerosols and lighter fluid -- if it has a scent they'll try it. Solvent abuse is highest where kids live in poverty, suffer prejudice, lack of opportunity, or are abused emotionally, physically or sexually. They often have at least one alcoholic parent. In a 1989 survey of Ontario students in grades 7 to 13, 2 to 3 per cent had sniffed glue or solvents in the previous year. In a study of First Nations and Inuit communities, almost half of the communitiesthat responded said solvent abuse was a problem for their children. Another report said up to 50 per cent of children living in isolated Canadian villages abuse solvents. A treatment manager for the Ka-Na-Chi-Hih Solvent Abuse Centre in Thunder Bay said the root of the problem is communities that lack the resources to support children facing problems. High-risk addicts come to her for treatment. They are dirty and extremely underweight, because solvent abuse kills their appetite. The skin around their mouths is red and rashy from close contact with fumes. The manager says in an isolated community, there's nothing else for kids to do besides go out to the airport, watch the planes come in and sniff. "When they huff they sometimes let out a scream as they exhale. You'll hear them all night. It's very eerie." Over the long term, sniffers put most of their vital organs at risk. Kidneys can fail or become diseased. The liver ceases to function normally. Lungs become inflammed or pneumonic. The heart beats abnormally. Bone marrow picks up toxins like benzene, an ingredient in gasoline that can lead to severe anemia and leukemia. Blood containing carbon monoxide, converted from a paint thinner ingredient called methylene chloride, prevents oxygen from gettingto the brain. This could mean brain damage. The Canadian Aboriginal Youth Network, posted an online survey asking kids to explain why people sniff. "Sniffing has become a sort of family heirloom passed down through the generations," wrote one "half Inuit" 18-year-old from North Vancouver. "But I also believe sniffing is a result of laziness and the inability to motivate oneself into finding more productive ways to deal with everyday problems that arise." Another message came from a girl in Goose Bay, Labrador. "My cousin lives in Davis Inlet. I think he sniffs because it is a good escape from the hell he has to live in up there. He's at the point now where he doesn't care about anything and I wish I could help him before he really hurts himself." A respondent with the alias 'piro maniac' sent in a brief reply from Cadotte Lake, Alta. "To get high and feel like a fool." - --- MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart