Groups seek huffing awareness

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- When Megan Hakeman was 12, she started inhaling the vapors of household products like computer cleaner and air freshener a brief high with her friends.

"We, like, cleaned out my cupboards. We used everything in there," Megan said.

Megan could be a poster child for huffing -- a practice that kills more than 100 people every year. Groups like the National Institutes of Health and the Partnership for a Drug Free America want to bring more awareness to the problem.

"Any time someone uses an inhalant, even the first time, that could be a fatal instance for that child," said Harvey Weiss, Executive Director of the National Inhalant Prevention Coalition.

The groups held a news conference Thursday to announce National Inhalants and Poisons Awareness Week, which starts Sunday.

A survey of 2,000 people found nearly 17 million Americans admitted huffing at least once in their lives -- more admiited to using the club drug ecstacy and the painkiller OxyContin combined.

Authorities say huffing can kill someone the first time they try it, sometimes without warning. But even if it doesn't kill, it can do long-term damage.

"Unfortunately, we do not know when inhaling will suddenly kill or when it will start causing hearing loss, memory loss, limb spasms, bone marrow damage, liver damage or even kidney damage," said Dr. H. Westley Clark, Director of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment.

The problem, products that can be used as inhalants are everywhere. Almost anything in aerosol containers, like spray paint, hairspray, and computer cleaner, will work. Other household products, such as nail polish remover, vegetable cooking spray and spray whipped cream, commonly are used as well.

After three months of rehabilitation, Megan has kicked the huffing habit, and is working with her mother to help other kids stop, too.

Her mother, Joan Hakeman, didn't believe Megan's teachers when they suggested she may have been using drugs. She only gave her a small allowance, not enough to buy illegal substances. Abusing household products never crossed her mind.

"I said there's no way she could be buying drugs, and here I was her supplier," Hakeman said.

She saw all of the warning signs in Megan, but didn't know what they meant.

"The signs were all there -- red and runny eyes and nose, sores around her mouth, dizziness, loss of appetite and anxiety," said Hakeman said. Another sign is that household products have been moved, she said.