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Inhalants are substances that are inhaled or sniffed through the nose in an attempt to produce mind and behavioral effects. Some substances used as inhalants include glue, cleaning fluids, alcohol, gasoline, and paint thinner.
Substances used as inhalants are either sniffed as is or are used as solvents and boiled to become a vapor. The vapors are inhaled into the lungs and then absorbed into the blood stream allowing the substance to quickly travel to the brain. The amount of effect the inhalant has on the body depends on the amount of vapor inhaled, its solubility (which is related to its chemical properties), and its ability to mix with water, blood, and tissue.
The solubility of a substance affects its movement from the blood to other parts of the body. Since many solvents are chemically attracted to fats, they usually leave the bloodstream and accumulate in fatty tissues such as the heart, liver, brain, and muscles. After the body is accustomed to the presence of the solvent and it is then discontinued, the stored concentrations in the fats migrate into the body at large producing effects on the rest of the body.
Most solvents are organic materials, meaning that they contain carbon. Since all living organisms also contain carbon, solvents are able to interact with the body's functions more easily. Some solvents don't even have to be inhaled, just being in contact with skin is enough for it to enter the bloodstream. Once in the body, these solvents affect tissues that contain a high level of lipids, such as in the brain. When nerve tissue membranes are dissolved, the brain's normal functioning is adversely affected.
Organic solvents produce more toxic effects than most other drugs, and a good many of these effects, such as blindness, are irreversible. Organic solvents also create a disruption of the normal functioning of the heart, an increased risk for developing cancer, and a disruption of brain activity leading to the destruction of brain cells. Inhaling these dangerous toxins can result in death and damage to unborn embryos.
Tolerance to a drug is a state in which the effects of a drug decrease after continued usage of it. This means that an even higher dose must be taken to achieve the same result. Although many drugs exhibit tolerance behavior, inhalants do not.
