Central Journal of Substance Abuse & Alcoholism Cite this article: Bhad R, Jain R, Dhawan A, Mehta M (2014) Biochemical Assessment of Inhalant Use among Adolescents: A Pilot Study from Tertiary De- Addiction Center of India. J Subst Abuse Alcohol 2(3): 1021. *Corresponding author Raka Jain, Rm. No. 4090, Department of Psychiatry, 4th floor, Teaching Block, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi- 110029, India, Tel: +91-011- 26593236; 26593595; Fax: 91-011-26588663, 26588641; Email Submitted: 16 October 2014 Accepted: 03 December 2014 Published: 05 December 2014 Copyright © 2014 Bhad et al. OPEN ACCESS Research Article Biochemical Assessment of Inhalant Use among Adolescents: A Pilot Study from Tertiary De-Addiction Center of India Roshan Bhad 1 , Raka Jain 2 *, Anju Dhawan 3 and Manju Mehta 4 1 Senior Resident, Department of Psychiatry and National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi-11029, India 2 Professor, National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre and Department of Psychiatry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi-11029, India 3 Professor, National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre and Department of Psychiatry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi-11029, India 4 Professor, Department of Psychiatry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi-11029, India ABBREVIATIONS GLC: Gas Liquid Chromatography; NPD: Nitrogen Phosphorous Detector; TLC: Thin Layer Chromatography; UCL: Urine Creatinine Level; UHL: Urine Hippuric Acid Level; I.Q.: Interquartile Range INTRODUCTION In the last few decades inhalant abuse is on rise and has become an issue of great concern worldwide. Factors responsible for this increasing use include easy availability, accessibility and affordability. However among adolescents in India, inhalant abuse appears far more complex and multidimensional [1–5]. More challenging is the management of inhalant abuse, which is known to cause extensive medical, psychiatric, and psychological damage but there are hardly any pharmacological or non- pharmacological interventions available to tackle this problem [6–8]. There is a dearth of research in area of management of adolescent inhalant abuse. Additionally, objective assessment is limited by non-availability of any screening test to detect inhalant use. Toluene, an important industrial organic solvent, is the most commonly abused inhalant across the world and in India [2,3,9–11]. Its exposure remains significant in an occupations involving manufacture of paints, glues and adhesives. Laboratory analysis of inhalant abuse requires the analysis of biological fluids, commonly using gas chromatography [12]. Hippuric acid, a primary urinary metabolite of toluene has been biochemically detected in urine for its occupational exposure in past [12–15]. However, there is paucity of literature for biochemical validation of toluene abuse among inhalant users in a clinical setting. We conducted a pilot study among adolescent inhalant users, which aimed at biochemical assessment of inhalant use by an objective method in a clinical setting. Keywords • Inhalant abuse • Adolescent substance use • Toluene • Biochemical validation • Screening test Abstract Inhalant abuse is a serious problem worldwide, particularly in disadvantaged populations and among adolescents. However, very few studies are available on objective measurements of inhalant abuse among adolescents. A pilot study was conducted on twenty-three adolescent inhalant users with recent use within one month on self-report, with the aim of biochemical validation of inhalant use by objective method in a clinical setting. Urine hippuric acid level was measured using gas chromatography with NPD (Nitrogen Phosphorous Detector) detector as a part of biochemical validation. More than fifty percent of adolescents were confirmed positive for intentional exposure of toluene in urine. The study findings are indicative of feasibility of biochemical testing for assessment of inhalant use and envisage the development of screening test for inhalant abuse in near future. Such objective validation would be beneficial for management of inhalant abuse problem among adolescents.