And the company's who produce it make millions. According to UNICEF, there are some 40 million street children in Latin America, and more than half of them inhale solvent based glues. Twenty million customers, who consume about 20 million gallons of glue a month. That's a BIG market. And the biggest producers are US multinationals.

Through our drug rehabilitation programs The Hope Movement is determined to help these children break the chains of addiction. Setting them free and giving them hope for a brighter future.
 
The Problem

In the 1970s, manufacturers in the United States were forced to change their products to comply with new laws designed to protect the earth's ozone layer. Aerosols were quickly replaced by pump bottles, and other non-ozone-depleting spray dispensers. America's mighty multinationals complied. They had to. A consensus was reached between environmentalists and lawmakers -- global warming could be prevented. Aerosols had to go. Our collective planetary future was at stake. Today, another consensus must be reached and concrete action must be taken to protect another important part of our earth's resources -- its children.

More than 600 different poisonous products are regularly abused by children to get "high" and the average U.S. home contains more than 30 of them. According to the Eden Youth Inhalant Abuse Information and Training Project, the top ten most abused products are:

In Latin America and other parts of the developing world, the drug of choice among street children is solvent-based shoe glues. These products, produced most commonly in bases of toluene and cyclohexane take away the child's cold and despair. However, they also damage the child's liver, lung, and brain. Sudden death is also possible. Glue also keeps kids stuck in the street. 

Once addicted, their personalities change. They become more aggressive. Glue destroys any future these kids might have once envisioned for themselves. They become enslaved to the vapors. Meaningful psycho-social rehabilitation of a glue-addicted child is near impossible.

It is estimated that of the 40 million street children of Latin America, 70 percent are addicted to glue. They buy it from cobblers and hardware stores that repackage the narcotic products in baby food jars and plastic bags. For these local outlets, the children's addiction ensures a steady stream of income. For those who make the glue, it is big business. We must work, now, to build a consensus that children are more important than profits -- and advocate for changes in corporate marketing policies which bring harm to those who are our most precious resource now and for our future.

What are Inhalants?

The term "inhalants" refers to over a thousand different household and commercial products that can be intentionally abused by sniffing or "huffing" (inhaling through the mouth) to get high. These products are legally available and include volatile solvents (such as gasoline, glue, paint, and polishes), anesthetics (such as chloroform, ethers, and nitrous oxide), nitrates and aerosols.  Also known as chemical vapors, these substances are found in a wide range of common products. They have been used at least once by an estimated 21 percent of eighth-graders, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

The chemicals found in inhalants are as varied as their use.

Toluene ranks among the most toxic and hazardous substances produced, and it is included in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency  Superfund List. In the U.S., the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act prohibits land disposal of toluene. Yet, millions of containers of spent glue litter the city streets of Latin America.

Cyclohexane

Cyclohexane is a colorless liquid with a sweet odor. It is used as a paint remover, as a solvent for lacquers and resins, and in making organic materials like nylon.

Chemical corporations have changed the base of their contact cement formulas from toluene to cyclohexane in recent years to promote their "new" products as "toluene-free" and therefore safe. Though cyclohexane is six times less toxic than toluene, abuse of the solvent still causes irreversible damage and even death. According to Medical Examiner Tim Rohrig, "The difference between toluene and cyclohexane is like the difference between a 357-magnum and a 44-caliber gun." They both can cause great injury, and death.

According to Dr. Milton Tenenbein, an experts on inhalants at the University of Manitoba's Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, because of cyclohexane's structural similarity to toluene, "there is good reason to speculate that this compound would produce the same complications as toluene. It certainly is inappropriate to promote cyclohexane as a safe alternative to toluene."

Brain Changes

Inhalants provide one of the swiftest ways for drugs to reach the brain because they enter the bloodstream directly through the lungs. Some inhalants act somewhat like surgical anesthetics, suppressing nerve action in a way not clearly understood and causing various degrees of stupor. Some produce structural changes in brain cells. These often affect the cerebral cortex, the cerebellum and the brain stem. As a result, chronic inhalant users often move slowly and clumsily because of loss of coordination.

The frontal cortex, a region of the brain that helps to solve complex problems, also is affected by inhalants, as is the hippocampus, a part of the brain involved in memory retention. Inhalants rob the brain of oxygen, reducing nerve cell activity and killing some cells. That, in turn, can affect thinking, memory and ability to learn. Other physical effects, permanent hearing loss, especially from inhaling toluene found in paint sprays, glues and dewaxers, is a big risk for inhalant users. Irreversible damage to nerves throughout the body, a condition called polyneuropathy, is common. Among the most vulnerable nerves are those in the back and legs.

Inhalants chemically attach to fatty tissues, especially the white myelin sheaths that protectively coat nerve axons, somewhat like the insulation on electrical wires, and speed nerve conduction. Inhalants damage the myelin and destroy it. Some of these changes are temporary, but others can produce long-lasting damage.

Elsewhere in the body, inhalants can cause a chemically induced hepatitis (inflammation of the liver), liver failure and muscle weakness. They also sometimes interfere with blood cell production, which can result in the life-threatening condition known as aplastic anemia.

Biggest risks. "Sudden sniffing death" occurs when inhaled vapors replace oxygen in the lungs and the brain. Inhalants also can interfere with the normal heart rhythm and lead to cardiac arrest.

Why do Children Sniff Glue?

Glue sniffing is a pragmatic response to an unlivable situation. Street children sniff glue because it "takes away" the children's hunger, cold, and despair. It also gives them the "courage" to steal and engage in survival sex. In their attempt to calm the raging sea within the caverns of their souls most are addicted to inhalants, such as cobbler's glue, which offers them an escape from reality, a high to hide their pain, and takes away hunger for just a moment. Glue sniffing is a pragmatic response to an unlivable situation. Street children sniff glue because it "takes away" the children's hunger, cold, and despair. It also gives them the "courage" to steal and engage in survival sex. In exchange for this temporary escape they experience a host of physical and psychological problems. Causing irreparable damage and even death, and keeps kids stuck in the streets.

Drug Rehabilitation

The Hope Movement provides drug rehabilitation for boys, girls, and adults addicted to solvent based shoe glue, other forms of drugs, and alcohol. Our programs immerse the children and adults in intensive one on one, and group therapies. Providing them with a structured encouraging environment. Giving them the tools to break the chains of addiction. No longer having a desire to have the high to hide their pain. For their pain has been transformed into peace. After they complete the drug rehabilitation program they are invited to continue their stay in our Transitional Home to begin developing a plan for their future, or we will pursue to reintegrate them with their families.

Our street teams also reach out to additional children on the streets, adults, and families providing drug and alcohol education. Empowering the people with the knowledge needed to inspire them to make lasting positive changes in their lives.
 

The Hope Movement is passionate about breaking the cycle of addiction through our life-transforming initiatives. You can make a difference by adopting-a-program, giving a financial gift is a powerful way for you to transform lives.