Volatile solvent misuse covers the inhalation of substances that vaporise at room temperature for the purpose of intoxication or sexual experience enhancement. While there is a wide range of such solvents, they may be broadly categorised as gas fuels such as gas bottles), petroleum, aerosol propellants such as deodorant sprays), solvents from adhesives and paints, volatile anaesthetics such as nitrous oxide and nitrites such as amyl nitrite. VSM is associated with neuropsychiatric, cardiovascular, respiratory, and renal pathology, as well as sudden death. The webinar will describe the circumstances of death and case characteristics of VSM-related death in Australia, 2000-2021, the toxicological profile of cases, and the major autopsy findings, and how we can respond to such harms.
About the speaker:
Professor Shane Darke is a leading world expert on the health effects associated with illicit drug use. He has published widely in the area of illicit drug use, including ground-breaking work on opioid overdose, suicide, psychostimulant overdose, psychopathology, trauma, treatment outcome and toxicology. He has written many seminal works, particularly on opioid overdose, and has published more than 300 articles and 6 books. He is the Australasian Regional Editor of Addiction (the leading international journal in the field) and an Associate Editor of both Drug and Alcohol Dependence and Drug and Alcohol Dependence Reports.
