Ask-the-librarian recently answered a question about where to find information on the products children use for inhalants and huffing, such as nitrous oxide, acetone, butane, fluorocarbon and toluene:
Are you looking for information about the effects of nitrous oxide, acetone, butane, fluorocarbon, and toluene? (Be careful with the spelling on those last two!) Or are you looking for information about their chemical composition and standard uses?
1) If you're looking for information about the effects, here are a few places I suggest looking:
-The library database Academic Search Premier, accessible off-campus using a library card from
http://library.camdencc.edu/ , and use search terms such as acetone AND abuse.
-Look up the terms in an encyclopedia. The Encyclopedia of drugs, alcohol & addictive behavior is available online through the library catalog, and has a section on inhalants.
The Encyclopedia of Drug Abuse, available in print in the Wolverton Library (Blackwood Campus) on the first floor under call# REF HV5804 .E94 1992, has useful sections on each chemical individually as well as a relevant section on inhalants.
-Encyclopedia Britannica, available online from the 'Reference Collection' page of the website, has a description of the effects of breathing nitrous oxide but focuses on the chemistry/applications for some of the others.
-Lexis Nexis, another library database accessible from off-campus using a library card from
http://library.camdencc.edu/ , has a number of news stories about inhalant abuse.
2) If you're looking for information about the chemical composition of the inhalants, try using the library's online encyclopedia "Access Science." Connect to Access Science by going to the main library page
http://library.camdencc.edu/ and clicking on "Reference Collection," and then on Access Science. If you search for each of the chemical names, there is a description of their composition and common applications.
For further information, email Ask-the-librarian using the button on the library website, or Meebo us when the chat box indicates that the librarian is online.