More than 500,000 American adolescents reported inhalant use in the past year, according to findings published in the journal Preventive Medicine. Inhalants—chemicals that produce mind-altering effects when inhaled—include common household and commercial products such as glue, shoe polish, paint thinner, aerosol sprays, gasoline, and nitrous oxide (laughing gas), which has grown popular through social media trends.
According to the study, which analyzed survey data collected between 2021 and 2023 from over 33,700 adolescents, 2.2% reported past-year inhalant use, 0.7% reported use in the past month, and 0.3% met criteria for inhalant use disorder. Younger adolescents ages 12 to 13 had higher rates of inhalant use compared with those ages 14 to 17, likely because inhalants are often among the first substances experimented with by young teenagers. Females had substantially higher odds of developing inhalant use disorder compared with males. The research found strong links between inhalant use and other risky behaviors: adolescents who used tobacco, got into physical fights, or engaged in stealing had substantially higher odds of inhalant use and inhalant use disorder.
Health Risks
Short-term effects of inhalant use include dizziness, slurred speech, poor coordination, nausea, and impaired judgment, with some users experiencing hallucinations or loss of consciousness. The long-term risks are severe: inhalants can damage the brain, nerves, liver, kidneys, and heart, with some effects being irreversible, including neurological injury and hearing loss.
One of the most alarming dangers is sudden sniffing death syndrome, a fatal heart rhythm disturbance that can occur even after a single episode of inhalant use, particularly with butane and propane. Nitrous oxide abuse can impair judgment and coordination, increase accident risk, cause frostbite injuries to the mouth and airway when inhaled directly from pressurized canisters, and interfere with vitamin B12 activity, leading to numbness, tingling, difficulty walking, and even spinal cord injury. According to a 2023 national survey, more than 13 million Americans have misused nitrous oxide.
Parents should watch for chemical odors on clothing or breath, empty spray cans or cartridges, stains on the face or hands, unexplained headaches, nausea, or mood changes. Sudden declines in school performance, secrecy, irritability, and new risk-taking behaviors may warrant closer attention.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://ktvz.com/health/cnn-health/2026/05/15/more-than-half-a-million-american-teens-are-using-inhalants-a-doctor-explains-the-dangers/