Overall Usage — There were an estimated 708,000 new inhalant users in 1997, compared to 710,000 in 1996.⁸⁶ For inhalants, the overall rate of past-month use remained steady since 1991 (between 0.3 and 0.4 percent from 1991 through 1998). Inhalants can be deadly, even with first-time use.

Use among youth — The 1998 NHSDA reports that among youth, current-use rates for inhalants decreased from 2 percent in 1997 to 1.1 percent in 1998. The 1999 MTF reported that there were no statistically significant differences in inhalant use between 1998 and 1999. However, among eighth graders, disapproval of trying inhalants increased by 3 percent (from 83 to 85.2 percent) from 1998 to 1999. Among tenth graders, the perceived harmfulness (i.e., "great risk") of trying inhalants "once or twice" increased 5 percent (45.8 to 48.2 percent) from 1998 to 1999. This change was accompanied by a 4 percent increase (from 73.3 to 76.3 percent) in perceived harmfulness of regular inhalant use. During the nine years for which data are available for eighth graders, lifetime, past-year, and past-month inhalant use peaked in 1995. Inhalant abuse continues to be more prevalent among eighth graders than tenth and twelfth graders. According to the PRIDE survey, monthly inhalant use for all students declined from 3.3 percent in 1997-98 to 2.9 percent in 1998-99.⁸⁷

Availability — Inhalant abuse typically involves substances readily available in any home or school. Examples include: adhesives (airplane glue, rubber cement), aerosols (spray paint, hair spray, air freshener), cleaning agents (spot remover, degreaser), food products (vegetable cooking spray, canned dessert topping), gases (butane, propane), solvents and gases (nail polish remover, paint thinner, typing correction fluid, lighter fluid, gasoline).