Call for action on solvent abuse

Campaigners are warning that the dangers of solvent abuse are being ignored by the government.

The charity Solve It says solvent abuse kills 60 young people each year - more than heroine, cocaine and ecstasy combined.

At Solve It's first annual conference in Northamptonshire on Thursday, it called for the government to act.

The risks of glue and gas sniffing and inhaling sprays include suffocation and injuries while hallucinating.

SOLVENT ABUSE In 39% of deaths there is no evidence of previous abuse Solvent abuse accounts for one in six of all deaths in the UK's 15-19 age group Butane lighter fuel kills 50.8% of victims Death occurs through toxic effects, suffocation, inhalation of vomit, and accidents The symptoms of abuse are 'similar to those of normal adolescence' Sniffing is not illegal Source: Solve It, figures for 2000

A third of children die the first time they abuse solvents because the fumes are so toxic.

Long-term abuse can lead to damage to the lungs, liver, kidney, brain, heart and other organs. It also affects children's behaviour.

It is mainly children and teenagers aged 11 to 20 use solvents - though some can be as young as seven. More boys than girls abuse substances.

The average home has around 30 kitchen and bathroom products which can be abused - including marker pens, any kind of glue, hairsprays or lighter fuels.

'Frustrating'

The government successfully tackled the problem of solvent abuse in the early 1990s, cutting deaths in the UK from 152 a year then to around 60 now.

I could have been dead on several occasions Sophona, former solvent abuser

But Solve-It says it cannot access any of the money set aside by the government to fight illegal drugs to tackle solvent abuse.

Barbara Skinner founded the charity in 1989, a year after the death of her 18-year-old son from solvent abuse.

She told the BBC: "It's very frustrating. After all this time, very little has changed. There was very little information out there when my son died.

"Now, there's Solve-It and another charity Resolve - and that's all there is.

She added: "Because solvents are so available, because they aren't illegal - a lot of young people think they can't be bad.

"But volatile substances are a gateway to other illegal substances, so if we can divert people away from using solvents, we may just divert them from illegal drugs in the future."

'Thought it was harmless'

Sophona, 22, started experimenting with lighter gas and tippex and drugs when she was 10 and she was soon using two cans of butane gas a day.

"The effects were very strong, a buzzing sound in my head, very bad hallucinations.

"At the time, we didn't realise the dangers of solvent abuse. We weren't educated at all - we thought it was harmless.

"I now realise the damage that I've done to my life. I didn't realise. I could have been dead on several occasions."

Public Health Minister Melanie Johnson said: "I appreciate that there is a problem with the use of volatile substances amongst young people and I am keen to address the problem and tackle it head-on.

"The Department of Health has funded activity on volatile substance abuse over a number of years.

"However, there is still more work to do. We are currently developing an action plan that will look to address the problems associated with substance abuse."

'Truancy and joyriding'

Lesley King-Lewis, Chief Executive of the charity Action on Addiction, said: "There is a very high level of solvent abuse in young people.

"Children who use solvents are significantly more depressed and anxious than other children, and are also far heavier drinkers and smokers than the other young people.

"They generally have lower educational aspirations, take part in more delinquent acts and are much more likely to use illegal drugs."

She added: "Truancy, stealing and joyriding are also much more common in solvent abusers than in other school children, and they are far more likely to have been at least cautioned by the police.

"Worryingly, 25% of users report that they frequently think about suicide. Many say they often feel hopeless about the future, and are always tense and stressed."