All the subjects were "street children," a term given to homeless and runaway children or adolescents (mainly black and mainly boys) who live on the streets of the major cities of South Africa. A study of 22 glue sniffers and 22 non-sniffers was conducted. Each of the children participated in structured interviews in which information on glue sniffing activities had been obtained. This information was independently confirmed by at least three people. Various instruments were used for cognitive measures. No statistically significant differences were found between the sniffers and non-sniffers on cognitive measures or biographical features (for example, time spent at school, years on the street). When rated by shelter staff on a modified version of the Christiansen Rating Scale (1967), the sniffers were perceived to be significantly more disturbed in their relationships with others; however, the methodology used could not provide conclusive evidence of behavioral differences between sniffers and non-sniffers. The authors conclude that the findings lend support to the view that the effects of volatile substance abuse on cognitive and personality functioning cannot be clearly demonstrated. 3 tables and 22 references