Controlling deaths from volatile substance abuse in under 18s: the effects of legislation.

Methods and results Data for the period 1981-9 were obtained from the national register of volatile substance abuse deaths maintained by the department of public health sciences at St George's Hospital Medical School. The methods of data acquisition have been described elsewhere3 and include systematic screening of local and national press, death certificates (through the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys), and notification of deaths by coroners. For this analysis abused products were categorised according to whether the inhalant was liquid or gaseous at room temperature since it is likely that this characteristic affects case fatality.4 Gaseous substances include the contents of butane gas cigarette lighter refills, pressurised aerosols (for example, deodorants), and Halon containing fire extinguishers. Inhalants which are liquid at room temperature include contact