Inhalant Abuse: One Huff Can Kill

Gr 5–10—This video packs a wallop, as it focuses primarily on the devastated family members of a teen who died from inhalant abuse. While having less clinical information than most of the distributor's videos, the program features two reenactments of sniffing-related deaths. The one of 13-year-old Aria really hits home when her parents, sister, and numerous friends share how awful and unexpected her death was. Her mother recalls how, in retrospect, there were signs that something was wrong, but they weren't obvious at the time. Police sergeant Jeff Williams is also emotional and effective when talking about his 14-year-old son, Kyle, who also died. Dr. George Rodgers details the number of common household products that can be inhaled, including computer duster, furniture polish, paint, and paint thinner. He points out that inhalants damage organs as well as cause cancer and that they create an adrenaline spike that often leads to cardiac arrest. It is emphasized that huffing may be the most dangerous form of substance abuse. The animation depicting heart, lung, and brain interaction with inhaled chemicals is very easy to understand. Still, the best and most impactful part of the short film is the anguish every affected person expresses. It's doubtful that anyone can watch this without being moved by the ending, which features the names and ages of four teens killed by inhalants.