Morbidity and Mortality Statistics on Solvent Abuse

Abstract

A retrospective study of newspaper reports on solvent abuse indicated that there were some individuals who had been hospitalized or had died following the episode. A subsequent study of hospital records demonstrated that only a very small proportion of both hospital casualties and inpatients was found to have been involved in solvent abuse. No morbidity appeared to have resulted from the practice in Lanarkshire. In all, 45 deaths from solvent abuse occurred in Britain between 1970 and January 1977. It is possible that there have been other deaths resulting from accidents associated with the practice and also that in some cases, where death has occurred sometime later, the vital connection may have been overlooked or not recognized. In this way the number of actual cases could well be much higher than that represented in the statistics. It is obvious from the distribution of fatalities that the practice of solvent abuse has occurred in many areas of Britain since 1970.