A Fife father is demanding action on solvent abuse as he renews campaigning following the death of his son.
Deaths from solvent abuse have almost doubled in a decade in Scotland.
Seventeen people died from inhaling lighter fluid and other solvents in 2012, the last date for which figures are available.
This compares to just eight in 2002, with only one death in 2004.
The statistics have prompted Fife father John O’Brien to renew his hard-hitting campaign against solvent abuse, 14 years after the death of his son.
Mr O’Brien, from Methil, has called for education on solvent abuse to become mandatory in Scotland’s schools and for test purchasing in shops to be stepped up in a bid to stop people dying needlessly.
The 60-year-old fought a one-man battle for changes to the law after his son Lee died aged 16 in January 2002.
As a result, test purchasing was introduced across Scotland and shopkeepers caught selling lighter fuel to under 18s were threatened with prosecution.
He and his family also founded the Lee O’Brien Solvent Trust (LOST) aimed at raising awareness of thedangers of sniffing solvents and the death rate did begin to fall.
News that deaths have since rocketed has come as a blow to Mr O’Brien, who also has two daughters.
“People are still unaware of thedangers and I would like to see more education in schools,” he said.
“Drug education should be given to all pupils and solvents should be classed as a drug.
“LOST does go into schools voluntarily to speak to pupils but I would like to see it included on the national Curriculum for Excellence.”
He added: “Lee was a young man with his whole life ahead of him.
“It is my passion to get this message across and use Lee’s death as a stepping stone to save others.
“The fact that deaths have doubled shows more needs to be done to combat it.”
LOST manager Stuart Pearsoncompared sniffing solvents to Russian roulette.
“People do it because it is cheap and it gives them an instant buzz,” he said.
“But they’re looking at possible brain damage, breathing difficulties and, at worst, sudden sniffing death. It only takes one sniff and the heart just stops.”
Mr Pearson believes the death rate could actually be higher than officialfigures suggest as post-mortems often cite cardiac arrest as the cause of death.
“People aren’t just sniffing lighter fluid. It’s things like cans of deodorant and it’s hidden behind closed doors,” he said.