Why is smelling sharpies bad

Unfortunately, these chemicals can also cause a short-lived high in those who know how to abuse it. Sharpies, which are known as an inhalant, have a stimulating effect on the body that is always short lived. The chemicals start to work immediately killing off brain cells and starving the brain of much needed oxygen. The smell… Answer 1.

The chemicals in sharpies can cause dizziness, headaches, and loss of consciousness. In the long term, certain brain cells will stop functioning due to toxicity, causing damage to your brain and other organs. Does sniffing Sharpies damage your brain? Barbara McCall, a Maine physician, agrees. While sniffing toxic fumes can damage the liver, lungs, kidneys, and brain, McCall doubts that the markers could be a problem "unless they are purposely misused over a long time.

The fumes may be overpowering, but few gripe, says Joe Lillie, product manager at Sanford, makers of the Expo line. He gets about three smell-related complaints every six months. Looking back, I have a fondness for these destructive and careless times, but I also wonder what was going on in my childish brain during those bewildering seconds after breathing a bunch of marker gas, and whether that has left an impact on my brain to this day.

So I put the lid on my beloved Sharpie and called up inhalant expert Ruben Baler of the National Institute on Drug Abuse , who specializes in the neurobiology of drugs. He explains that while research on inhalants like Sharpies and how they impact the brain is somewhat limited, we do know the culprit behind that unsatisfying high — volatile organic compounds , which are added to permanent markers because they evaporate and help the ink dry.

Inhaling them slows down the brain , which results in symptoms like slurred speech, loss of coordination, nausea and so on. Freon found in air conditioners was the inhalant of choice for Amber Suri Talley, a year old from Lexington, N.

She had been using for approximately six months when one hit stopped her heart -- she was later found dead from cardiac arrest and asphyxiation, the garbage bag used to keep in the fumes still covering her face.

This sudden and tragic death, known as Sudden Sniffing Death Syndrome, can occur even with a teen's first time sniffing. We knew something was up, but we couldn't pinpoint it," Amber's father, Kevin Talley, said. Since Amber died in February , Talley has become an advocate for making parents more aware of the dangers of sniffing and he is scheduled to share Amber's story at the event today. Kids today are getting creative, they're not using the traditional drug outlet," Talley said.

One in five students in the United States has used an inhalant to get high by the time he or she reaches eighth grade, according to the NIPC. Sniffing is particularly popular in younger teens because it is so readily available.