Bethel-based Alaska State Troopers received a call from the community of Tuntutuliak on Sunday reporting that a 31-year-old man, Joshua Evans, had been found dead in the community.

Bethel troopers responded to the western Alaska community on Sunday to investigate the death.

Their investigation found that one of the man’s family members were searching for Evans when they discovered his body at the tank farm in the village. He was found on top of the propane tanks there.

Troopers have determined that the man’s death was accidental. It was found that Evans had been apparently intentionally breathing or huffing the propane from the tanks in an effort to get high.

On the average, in the United States, well over 500,000 teens have admitted to breathing inhalants in the prior year. It is estimated that between 100 and 150 deaths occur yearly that are directly related to breathing inhalants in an effort to get high. Although accurate numbers cannot be determined, as many inhalant deaths are attributed to heart attack and stroke.

Huffing, or breathing inhalants, is the most common form of substance abuse in rural Alaska, with gasoline at the top of the list. Other items used to get high are propane, magic markers, glue, perfume, hair spray and lysol. The behavior often begins at a very young age, sometimes as young as seven or eight, and most huffers are between 10 and seventeen years of age. But, in some of cases, the behavior continues into the 20s and 30s. But, most often, when alcohol and marijuana become more available as the person gets older, they will switch to those substances.

Short term effects of inhalant abuse can be loss of vision and hearing, paranoia, memory loss, nausea, and frequent cough.

Long-term effects of huffing are brain, liver, heart, kidney, lung, bone marrow and central nervous system damage.

The instances of inhalant abuse is very prevalent in western Alaska as well as other rural areas of the state. In an effort to stem the tide of inhalant abuse in western Alaska, in 2003 the McCann Center was opened in Bethel, but the treatment for the abuse is long, difficult and costly, often exceeding $300 a day. Even after completing the program, the abuser needs constant supervision for up to two years. So, prevention is the preferred treatment for the abuse.