Sniffing madness: one of the most dangerous groups of abused drugs is also one of the most readily available.

At 19 Philip is in prison because of increasingly bizarre behavior--the result of brain damage from inhalants. He began sniffing at age 9 or 10.

Cheryl Lange, an adolescent substance-abuse counselor in southwestern Michigan, says, "Often the brain damage these children suffer from sniffing makes them especially difficult to work with in treatment. They don't realize their inability."

Philip is a case in point. Lange recalls that one time on leave during treatment he brought back a pillowcase soaked in gasoline and then dried, so he could sleep on it. "By the time he was 15," she says, "he was untreatable."

According to the Department of Health and Human Services, inhalants are breathable chemicals that produce mind-altering vapors. Their danger lies partly in the very fact that people do not think of them as drugs. They are everyday substances that have legitimate uses--items as common as hair spray and shoe polish--yet their toxicity often exceeds that of other abused substances.

Because inhalants are so readily available, their abuse is seen most often in young people. When teenagers can't afford to buy marijuana or some other drug, they can still get "high" on a very cheap household item. Some also fall victim to an inhalant by accident, unaware of the need for ventilation and careful usage. An estimated 7 million American young people between ages 7 and 17 abuse inhalants, with the average age being 12 to 13. Midteens use them more than do older adolescents.

Lange says that in her six years of practice she has seen inhalant abuse increasing at younger ages. "Now 7-and 8-year-olds are starting," she observes, "in the middle elementary school years." A few years later they graduate to amphetamines, "and then they will give up the inhalants."

Not all users will suffer brain damage. However, effects can vary widely, and include sudden death for even an occasional user.

There is no way to predict just what results will occur; it's like playing Russian roulette.

Mental and Physical Effects. With low doses, physical reactions include increased salivation, nausea, different allergic reactions, nosebleeds, headache, blurred vision, loss of muscle coordination, slurred speech, a slowing of the heart rate and breathing, and temporary paralysis. The mental effects might be lowered inhibitions, slight stimulation, euphoria, fantasies, and feelings of invincibility that may lead to reckless or bizarre behavior.

Death can occur the first time someone sniffs--by heart failure, suffocation (either by the vapors displacing the oxygen in the lungs or by smothering from a plastic bag used to concentrate the vapors and enhance the "high"), or by depressing the central nervous system so much that breathing slows down until it stops. Users also show up in emergency rooms with cuts and other injuries from walking through glass doors or other errors of judgment while feeling invincible.

With chronic use the effects include sores on the mouth and nose, a numbling of the senses, even loss of consciousness, bone-marrow disorders, liver problems, lead poisoning (if inhaling vapors from lead-based paints or other petroleum products), salt imbalance, seizures, paralysis, a rare form of cancer from some substances (Kaposi's sarcoma), and high susceptibility to respiratory disease.

Considering the high risk of sniffing, you have to ask, What makes kids do it? The answers vary. But family characteristics that show up quite often among inhalant abusers include broken homes, often with one or both parents alcoholic; lack of affection, or parental hostility; lack of supervision, indicating minimal caring; low self-esteem in the child, with a desire to escape rather than face reality; a lack of church influence. Children also speak of boredom and sometimes of idle curiosity leading them to try inhalants.

Lange says, "I think they do it because they need entertainment and excitement. They want to live on the edge, flirt with the exciting, and to verbalize a deeper hurt--they haven't learned how to say, 'Hey, Mom, I need a hug.'"

Until recently, abusers seemed to come mostly from poor families and minority populations. This is now changing. Lange notes, as do researchers, that children from all socioeconomic classes now abuse inhalants.

What Parents Can Do. Given the availability of inhalants and the vulnerability of kids, what can parents do? For one thing, be alert. If you see any sudden change in your child's behavior, and if it is accompanied by any of the symptoms mentioned, look carefully for other signs. Do you smell the odor of solvents on the child's breath? Do you see stains on the clothing? Do you find rags hidden around the house or yard? Are there an unusual number of empty containers around the house that might have held solvents or aerosol products? Is there a cache of plastic bags around that may have been used to concentrate vapors?

If you suspect sniffing, go with your child to a substance-abuse counselor. At the same time, Lange suggests, look for what's missing in the child's life, and address that issue. She says, "For parents to ignore the problem is a silent condoning of it."

Prevention. Here are a few suggestions that may help prevent inhalant abuse in your child:

Support legislation (such as Texas now has) that prohibits the sale of model airplane glue to minors, even though a determined child can still find adults to buy for him, and other products still have to remain legitimately on the market.

Support those companies that are searching for ways to make their chemical products less toxic, as well as those that fund educational programs against inhalant abuse.

Encourage better labeling of potentially dangerous products. This will at least save the child who might unknowingly inhale lethal vapors. And teach your child to read labels.

Push for more effective educational campaigns in the schools and media.

Always use paints and cleaning supplies in a well-ventilated room or outdoors, and teach your child to do the same.

Keep risky substances locked up.

Also important are the emotional climate you create and the example you set in your home.

Never abuse any drugs. That includes alcohol and tobacco. A child may reason, If Mom and Dad can use the drugs they can get easily, why can't I use the ones I can get easily?

Take the time to plan worthwhile activities for and with your child so that boredom doesn't take over on a regular basis.

Remember that supervision translates as caring in a child's mind. Even if children balk on the surface, underneath they are glad Mom and Dad care enough to set limits and to check up on them in a positive way.

Talk about the issues with children before they get into tempting environments with peers. Talk about how to choose worthwhile friends. Discuss how to say no. Tell them it's OK to inform you of what their friends are asking of them.

Give them a church home that can broaden, enhance, and deepen the support and teaching you give them in your family. Introduce them personally to the never-failing Friend they can always, instantly turn to for help.

Perhaps Philip would be a free young man today if his parents had understood the risks enough to launch an all-out prevention campaign early in his life.