Texas Woman in Prison After Getting High in Front of Her Child

Via NewsWest

A woman in Odessa, Texas was spotted in a car by police in a parking lot. The police smelled chemicals coming from the car and confronted the woman, who responded in a slow manner. Upon investigation, police discovered she had been huffing toluene, a clear, liquid chemical, inside the car. The woman's two-year-old son was in the backseat. The woman was arrested and taken to prison.

Florida Man Charged in Death of 3 Year Old Girl After Inhalant Crash

Via the Palm Beach Post in Florida:

A 56 year old man is being accused of killing a three year old girl in an inhalant related car accident. On September 23^rd, the man crashed his pickup into the girl, killing her. He claims the accident was caused from his blacking out from diabetes. In the truck, police found Toluene, a hand towel, and a small opened bag of floor finishing additive which they believe he had been huffing before the crash.  The driver is being charged with vehicular homicide and driving with a revoked license causing death.

Inhalant Death from Toluene

Via the Kimikareena blog:

Last week a coroner inquiry heard that a 42 year old man’s death back in July was due to toluene poisoning caused by glue sniffing. Employees at a coffee shop found a man dead in the store’s bathroom. A fingerprint check revealed the man’s identity and police reports revealed that he had a history of inhalant abuse stretching back to 1990.

The post also notes that “while there have been several cases of addicts drowning or falling to the death from buildings after abusing inhalants, death by toluene toxicity is very rare.” It describes one case in 2001 where a 26 year old Malaysian was found dead in the backseat of his car with a plastic bag over his head. Tests revealed that he “had abused inhalants that contained toluene and died after breathing too much of it in the enclosed car.”

Dendrite & Erazek Addiction on The Rise in India

From the Assam Tribune in India:

The article points out that “Dendrite” and “Erazex” addiction is on the rise in India.

“Dendrite is an adhesive used by carpenters and also for repairing punctured tyres. Erazex is a whitener fluid for correcting typing or writing errors.” Both contain toluene.

Indiana Man Says Mea Culpa On Huffing Charge

From The Star Press (June 28):

An Indiana man has entered a guilty plea on his fourth inhalant abuse charge and sixth known offense. In 2001, the man was arrested on three separate occasions for misusing products to get high. His futile attempt to flee authorities earned him a punitive resisting arrest charge.

This time, the 30-year old was found huffing carburetor cleaner in his apartment bathroom. Reports says the man filled a sock with the intoxicant and proceeded to inhale the fumes. He was arrested for inhaling intoxicating vapors and, following his guilty plea, sentenced to 180 days in jail. The report did not indicate who alerted authorities to the man's drug abuse.

Man Arrested Five Times For Inhalant Abuse

From The Muncie Star Press:

An Indiana man was recently arrested for "glue sniffing". Under Indiana's anti-inhalant statute, the inhalation of any substance is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 180 days in jail. However, it is not the State's statutory awareness that makes this case unusual.

The man in question has been arrested five times for the same offense. Since 2000, the man's affinity to carburetor cleaner, which contains the intoxicant toluene, have resulted in the arrests. Ostensibly, an arrest last November happened after the man pushed down his then-girlfriend when confronted him about the habit.

The 30-year old is now awaiting his Monday hearing and ensuing trial in June.

Man Arrested for Arson

From the Willits News (March 12) in California:

A man detained for suspected arson may have problems other than an affinity for fire. According to police, the suspect has a substance abuse record that spans 14 years with 45 court cases pending. In October 2009, he was found asleep at another arson scene. This time police arrested him on suspicion of arson, probation violation and inhalation of a toluene substance.

The latter points to his dangerous habit of huffing paint thinner. When police found the 40-year old, he could not speak. He had passed out from inhaling gasoline fumes as suggested by the gas cup in his vehicle.

Case on Toluene Abuse in India

In our Google Alerts this am we came across an interesting case of Toluene Abuse in India.

In the case it notes "The commonest source is typewriter erasing fluid and thinner which contains toluene" That synopsis can be found via the link here.

Effects of Toluene (Methylbenzene)

From the Kungfuchem Blog:

• Toluene is a common component in gasoline, glues, and paint products (including nail polish).
• Recreational use is by inhaling vapor from toluene, often in a group setting. Toluene intoxication lasts longer than intoxication from assorted other inhalants.
• Some actions of toluene are comparable to alcohol. Toluene can relax users, cheer them up, and produce hallucinations. Mood may change and become unpleasant, however, often in response to content of hallucinations.
• People may have delusions of nonexistent abilities to fly or swim or that they must obey commands from some entity. Real-world scenes may seem more brightly lit than normal. Time may be perceived as passing faster. People may feel confused and dizzy and experience difficulty with balance and with controlling their limbs.
  
• Volunteers who inhaled toluene fumes experienced headache, eye discomfort, and lower performance on tests of thinking ability.
• Recreational users have reported slowness in thinking, and they have scored lower in intelligence testing than nonusers do.
  
• Dementia can be a consequence of the habit.
• Sniffers may also experience nausea, appetite loss, tremors, speech difficulty, double vision, and ringing in the ears.
• Daily abuse for several years may cause significant problems in mobility; those symptoms may mimic beriberi.
• Brain, lung, eye, and liver injury can occur in recreational users.
• Investigators find that some physical damage may improve if exposure to toluene stops, although brain damage may be permanent.
• High blood pressure is reported in blood circulating through the lungs.
  
• Controversy exists about whether cardiac injury occurs, although a case report notes a
  heart attack suffered after a teenager sniffed toluene.
• Anemia and other changes in blood composition may develop, changes affecting males and females in different ways. For example, in one study of persons chronically exposed to the substance, women had higher blood cholesterol levels than normal, and men had lower levels than normal.
• Chronic abuse can deplete a person’s potassium levels; such depletion can damage muscles and produce irregular heartbeat.
  
• The chemical may produce a kidney malfunction called renal tubular acidosis, which might lead to rickets. Renal tubular acidosis can have fatal complications, but case reports indicate the condition can clear up if a victim stops toluene sniffing.
  
• Regular exposure can be dangerous enough, but an overdose can create a medical emergency.
• In humans an overdose can dangerously speed up the heart, cause seizures and convulsions, and produce coma.
• Fatalities occur.
• An unusual hazard comes from the chemical’s ability to increase salivation; in one case, a semiconscious person nearly drowned in his own saliva as it flowed into his lungs.
  
• The liquid can be absorbed through skin and may cause skin irritation.
• Toluene is flammable, thus hazardous around flames or burning cigarettes.
• Dependence is reported in humans, with a withdrawal syndrome including queasiness,perspiring, facial tics and abdominal cramps, peevishness, and difficulty with sleep. Symptoms last for several days.

Huffing Paint Near Tracks

Two Oklahoma men were arrested for inhaling paint fumes on Friday. A call was made to the local police about suspicious activity next to the railroad tracks, and when officers arrived at the scene they saw Logan Leroy, 47, and Eren Kendall Nance, 37. Then,

Responding Officer Brad Rhoads said Leroy was extremely unsteady on his feet and his speech was extremely slurred. Leroy had silver and gold paint around his mouth and on his hands. Leroy was arrested on suspicion of violating the Inhalation Act, Rhoads said.

Nance took off running but was soon apprehended by two other officers. Nance was also unsteady on his feet and had paint around his mouth and hands, Rhoads said. During a pat-down search of Nance, police found a baggy containing what they believe to be marijuana. Nance was arrested on suspicion of possessing marijuana, drug paraphernalia and violating the Inhalation Act.

One reason that gold and silver spray paints are more widely used than other paints is because they contain a higher concentration of toluene. Toluene is absorbed quickly by the brain, heart, liver, heart, and other organs. It is one of the more dangerous inhalants, causing such medical problems as:

• Loss of brain tissue
• Brain toxicity
• Mental impairment, loss of coordination
• Heart arrhythmia
• Hearing and vision loss
• Lung injuries
• Fetal malformation
• Miscarriage
• Premature birth