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29368 
Journal Article 
Sudden sniffing death 
Bass, M 
1970 
Yes 
JAMA: Journal of the American Medical Association
ISSN: 0098-7484
EISSN: 1538-3598 
212 
12 
2075-2079 
English 
An epidemic of 110 sudden sniffing deaths without plastic bag suffocation which occurred in American youths during the 1960's, appears to have originated on the West Coast. The incidence rate showed a sharp rise during the late 1960's. Volatile hydrocarbons most frequently involved were trichloroethane and fluorinated refrigerants. Sudden sniffing death occurred in all socioeconomic groups, with a preponderance in the suburban middle-income white family. Severe cardiac arrhythmia, resulting from light plane anesthesia, and intensified by hypercapnia or stress or activity or a combination of these, is the most likely explanation for sniffing death. Copyright © 1970 by American Medical Association.