Pubdate: Thu, 03 Feb 2005 Source: Richmond Times-Dispatch (VA) Copyright: 2005 Richmond Newspapers Inc. Contact: http://www.timesdispatch.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/365 SNIFFERS' NUMBERS SURGE Eighth-Graders Attempt to Get High Nearly one in five eighth-graders said they have attempted to get high by inhaling potentially toxic vapors such as those found in glue, gasoline, paint thinner, butane lighters, nail polish remover and aerosol sprays. In a nationwide survey, more than 17 percent of 17,413 U.S. eighth-graders said they had tried sniffing such substances. The anonymous questionnaires showed the second consecutive surge in the abuse rate -- up from 15 percent in 2003 -- after a 40 percent decline following a campaign in the mid-'90s against the solvents' dangers. The National Institute on Drug Abuse, which funds the annual survey, said it will launch a new campaign to alert children and parents of the dangers of sniffing. Inhalant abuse can cause instant death by triggering cardiac arrhythmias and asphyxiation. It also can cause blindness, neuropathy and harm to major bodily organs. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake