Jennifer McPhee
Northern News Services

Inuvik (Oct 01/01) - It's a grim reality in the North that some people consume non-beverage alcohol products such as Lysol, Listerine and hairspray.

These solvents are cheap, available when liquor stores are closed and have high alcohol concentrations--generally around 60 percent. By comparison, vodka is about 30 percent alcohol.

"There's a lot of alcohol in there compared to hard liquor," said Dr. Abraham De Klerk in Inuvik. "You're getting more bang for your buck."

These products also contain harmful chemicals.

De Klerk said cleaning agents in Lysol can cause breathing problems, nausea and vomiting. And if a person ingests enough of the stuff, it can cause convulsions, leading to a coma.

"If you take enough of it, it will kill you," said De Klerk.

Boric acid, in Listerine, can cause vomiting, lethargy and falling blood pressure. "A mouthful won't hurt you," said De Clerk. "It's the big amounts." There are also propellants in hairsprays that cause lung irritation. "If you breath enough asbestos, it's not good for you. It's the same with propellants," he said.

"This is stuff you're not supposed to drink or breath in."

Richard Garlick, a spokesperson for the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, said it's the alcohol in these products that does the most damage.

"The ingredients in a bottle of Scope or Lysol don't present much more of a problem than the alcohol itself," he said. "If you got knocked down by a cement truck and then a brick fell on your head, what would you be more interested in explaining?" he said. "It's the alcohol that's kills people."