KARACHI, March 7: Addiction of glue-sniffing is on the rise among children due to easy availability of the substance.

Glue sniffing, a form of substance abuse, is believed to have been introduced by Bengali and Afghan immigrants in Pakistan. Unfortunately there is no awareness in parents and common citizens about the hazardous affects of the intoxicant.

An increasing number of people are becoming addicted to glue-sniffing which has gained popularity in homeless kids under the age of 14.

A detailed visit to some of the city areas revealed that glue-sniffers are mostly found in Lyari Town, Korangi, Khadda Market, Artillery Maidan, Empress Market, Jehangir Park, Arambagh and Cantt Railway Station,

A 12-year old boy working in a food shop on Burnes Road said he started sniffing glue when he was employed at a shoe-manufacturing factory.

“Large quantities of glue are used in making shoes. I remained associated with the factory for one year. When I left the place, I realized I craved the smell of the glue. The unavailability it compelled me to buy some and sniff it, turning me into an addict,” he said.

These glue-sniffing children either pour glue on a piece of cloth which they then roll up and sniff, or they pour the sticky substance into a shopping bag and hold it near their face. Some opt to enhance the pleasures of intoxication by putting it in their mouths.

A 13-year-old runaway informed that he sniffed glue to fight off hunger and the memories of his missing family. Moreover, he added, glue was easily available and nobody could question its use on purchase.

“After sniffing glue, I start feeling dizzy, light-headed and drowsy,” said a 14 year-old boy near Lyari General Hospital, who came to Karachi some three years ago from the NWFP.

“The smell of glue gives a feeling of pleasure. It distorts the senses and heightens carnal cravings. Perceptions also change leading to hallucinations,” a health expert said.

“Inhaling glue by covering the face causes the displacement of oxygen in the lungs and subsequently the central nervous system, causing breathing to cease.

The constant use of glue has been associated with a number of serious, long-term and often irreversible health problems including loss of hearing, damage to the brain and bone-marrow, and deficiency of oxygen in the blood,” said Dr Sarfraz at the Civil Hospital.

“Some long-term effects include burnt nose-membranes, perforation of the gallbladder, bone-marrow destruction, blindness and even possible death,” added another expert.

Another glue-sniffer, a 14-year-old boy who arrived in Karachi some five months ago from a village, bore out the doctors.

“First I felt my vision had blurred and everything seemed to be covered in a fog. Later, I felt I was floating in the air,”. He now seems hooked to the lethal substance for life.

The city administration has taken no notice of the situation. Observers say there is an urgent need to arrest this alarming trend.—PPI