Inhalants are substances or fumes from products such as glue or paint thinner that are sniffed or “huffed” to cause a high. Inhalants affect your brain with great speed and force and keep oxygen from reaching your lungs. Animal and human research shows that most inhalants are extremely toxic. Perhaps the most significant toxic effect of chronic exposure to inhalants is widespread and long-lasting damage to the brain and other parts of the nervous system.32
Neurons in a part of the brain called the hippocampus can also be damaged by inhalants. The damage occurs because the cells don't get enough oxygen. Since the hippocampus helps control memory, someone who repeatedly uses inhalants may lose the ability to learn new things, may not recognize familiar things, or may have a hard time keeping track of simple conversations.33
Inhalants can cause sudden death. “Sudden sniffing death” can happen when a person uses inhalants even in a single session. Users can die by suffocation, choking on their vomit, or having a heart attack because the heart beats irregularly and more rapidly. Other risks include: nausea, seizures and fatal accidents. Chronic use can lead to liver, lung, and kidney problems as well as muscle weakness. Prolonged abuse can negatively affect a person's cognition, movement, vision, and hearing.34