A campaign has been launched in Derry aimed at raising awareness of the problem of solvent abuse by young people and the legal obligations placed on retailers regarding the sale of solvents, writes Theresa Judge.
Since 1971 there have been 76 solvent abuse-related deaths in the North. In 2001, the last year for which figures are available, four young people died. It was pointed out that more teenagers die in the North from sniffing household products than from the abuse of illegal drugs.
At the launch of the campaign organised by Derry City Council, retailers were told that butane gas lighter refills have been the biggest killer.
In the North there is a complete ban on the sale of these to under 18s. However, there is no such ban in the Republic. Yet it is also believed that butane gas is involved in most solvent abuse deaths in the Republic.
According to a report last year on drug misuse by Dr Des Corrigan of Trinity College, the exact number of deaths due to solvent abuse in the Republic is unknown, although various studies have suggested that anything from 7 per cent to 22 per cent of teenagers may experiment. Apart from deaths, misuse of solvents can also cause long- term damage to the heart, brain, kidney and liver.
Mr Martin Connolly, whose 15-year-old son died in 1997, told the Derry seminar of the devastating impact solvent abuse had on his family. His son, also called Martin, died from inhaling fumes from a can of air freshener. "He literally just collapsed and died in the back lane. There was nothing anybody could do," he said.
He had been aware that his son was abusing solvents for some time and had "tried everywhere to get help". He said awareness of the problem and services available then were more limited and the family could not get the kind of crisis intervention help they needed. There have been more deaths in the Derry area since.
He now works full-time trying to raise awareness of solvent and drug abuse in the Derry-based Community Drugs Awareness project. In working with young people, parents and teachers, he talks about his own family's tragedy to try to give them an understanding of the possible devastating consequences.
Even seven years later he still cannot stop himself from thinking about how his son's death might have been prevented. The aim of the campaign by Derry City Council in conjunction with the Western Drug and Alcohol Co-ordination Team is to raise awareness of legislation and to help retailers identify products that can be abused. The council is now distributing information packs to all retail outlets selling solvents.
Martin Connolly pointed out that there are up to 40 different household products that can be abused, from spray deodorants and hair sprays to shoe polish and glues.
While the law in the North bans the sale of butane gas lighter refills to under 18s, it also states that retailers must refuse to sell a product to someone under 18 if they have "reasonable cause to believe" it is likely to be used to cause intoxication. The penalty for breaking either law is a fine of £5,000 and/or up to six months' imprisonment.
In the Republic, the Child Care Act of 1991 made it an offence for anyone to sell or make available a substance to a person under 18, "which they know or have reasonable cause to believe is likely to be inhaled for the purposes of causing intoxication". The offence carries fines of up to €1,270 and/or 12 months in jail.