What are the most serious short-term effects of inhalants?
Deep breathing of the vapors, or using a lot over a short period of time may result in losing touch with one’s surroundings, a loss of self-control, violent behavior, unconsciousness, or death. Using inhalants can cause nausea and vomiting. If a person is unconscious when vomiting occurs, death can result from aspiration. Sniffing highly concentrated amounts of solvents or aerosol sprays can produce heart failure and instant death. Sniffing can cause death the first time or any time. High concentrations of inhalants cause death from suffocation by displacing the oxygen in the lungs. Inhalants also can cause death by depressing the central nervous system so much that breathing slows down until it stops. Death from inhalants is usually caused by a very high concentration of inhalant fumes. Deliberately inhaling from a paper bag (huffing) greatly increases the chance of suffocation. Even when using aerosol or volatile (vaporous) products for their legitimate purposes, i.e., painting, clea
