Danger — Sniffer at Large

Date01 January 1977
Published date01 January 1977
DOI10.1177/0032258X7705000106
Subject MatterArticle
JOYCE
M.
WATSON,
M.B.,
Ch.B.,
D.A.,
D.P.R.
DANGER -SNIFFER
AT
LARGE
Solvent sniffing - at first glance a 20th century innovation -
has a very long and not always honourable history. Practical use
has been made of vapour inhalation "for the purpose of altering
psychological states" throughout the social and religious history
of the ancient people and. as recently as a century ago, the inhala-
tion of first nitrous oxide (laughing gas) then ether and finally
chloroform was considered to be a genteel method of becoming in-
ebriated.
It was in November 1970 that attention in Lanarkshire was first
focussed on solvent abuse when several young people. who appeared
to be drunk, were apprehended by the police and found to be in-
toxicated by fumes from degreasing agents. stolen from local
industrial works.
During 1971 and 1972 other similar incidents occurred; a girl.
overcome by vapours from a brand of shoe conditioner, was dis-
covered in the powder room of a large store in Hamilton by the
manageress; several teenage girls, reported missing from home.
were found to be under the influence of solvents in derelict pro-
perty and a lO-year-old boy was found unconscious in the school
playground after sniffing a considerable quantity of shoe condi-
tioner. At the same time, garage attendants were reporting a con-
siderably increased number of bicycle repair kits being sold and
shopkeepers were testifying to significantly mounting sales of clean-
ing materials and adhesives to young people.
These disturbing trends and incidents were investigated by the
Community Involvement Branch of the then Lanarkshire Con-
stabulary. This Branch is one which deals exclusively with crime
prevention and its field workers established a liaison with local
shopkeepers alerting them to the potentially dangerous qualities of
some of the materials they handle. As a direct result of this liaison,
chemists were kept informed about the matter and an attempt was
made, by means of an official letter from the Chief Constable in
Lanarkshire, to control the access of people to vats of materials
containing solvents by advising local works, e.g., steel works,
engineering works and factories. to tighten security arrangements.
Again, within the local context, talks were given by members of
the police on this growing menace within the community at Parents/
Teachers Association meetings, Church meetings and those of the
Local Health Authority'S medical staff. These were based initially
on a projection of industrial toxicology and therefore lacked the
conviction that comes from familiarity with a situation, though
later eye-witness descriptions of the state engendered by solvent
inhalation were much more telling in their impact.
45
January
1977

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