The one thing that must be clear from the very outset is that there is no stereotypical solvent abuser. People who abuse solvents can come from any social, cultural and ethnic background.

Young people remain the group most associated with solvent abuse. There are also cases of older long-term abusers.

Between 1971 and 1998, most deaths from VSA occurred in the 14-18 age range, although children under the age of 10 have died form the effects of VSA.

Solvent abusers can be male or female, although there are higher numbers of solvent related deaths in boys. This may be due to differences in ‘sniffing’ behavior.

There are no easy answers and there is no one type of child who is more likely to sniff volatile substances than another.

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