Special drive against whiteners

The menace of whiteners (volatile solvents) is on increase in most of the areas of Hyderabad City.

According to V. Satyanarayana, IPS, DCP South Zone, the youth were getting intoxicated by the way of sniffing/inhaling volatile solvents like Hydro carbon products like, Thinner, Nail Polish and adhesives, which are used for fixing Rubber materials. The impact of intoxication will be around 8 to 10 hours and during this state, they resort to commit offences like snatching, pick pocketing and sometimes they made cuts on their bodies with sharp edged blades and resort attacks on these common pubic with sharp edges.

Most of the whiteners are volatile solvents and chemical in a liquid or semi-solid state that dissolves other substances (for example, nail polish remover) a large and diverse group of chemical compounds contained in hundreds of household and industrial products which have rapid evaporation of chemicals when exposed to air. Many products readily found in the home or workplace—such as spray paints, markers, adhesive and cleaning fluids—contain volatile substances that have psychoactive (mind-altering) properties when inhaled. People do not typically think of these products as drugs because they were never intended for that purpose. However, these products are sometimes abused in that way. They are especially abused by young children and adolescents, and are the only class of substance abused more by younger generation. Generally the solvents (whitener) addicts are orphans, run out from the home or

shelterless. They sleep on footpaths, bus stands and railway stations and from middle and lower class families. (NSS)