Chris Doran Law LLCInhalants and Indiana OWI Cases: Why Toxicology Matters
I recently attended "Inhalants 101" in Indianapolis, an in-person training hosted by the Indiana State Department of Toxicology and led by forensic toxicologist Melissa Galey. It raised an important issue for Indiana OWI defense: inhalant cases require careful review of both the facts and the toxicology.
What Are Inhalants?
Inhalants are chemicals or gases that people breathe in to change how they feel. They can come from everyday products, but that doesn't make them safe.
Common examples include:
- DFE, or difluoroethane. A gas often found in aerosol "computer dusting" or air-duster products.
- Nitrous oxide. A gas used for medical sedation and also found in some food-service cartridges, sometimes called "whippets."
- Other solvents, sprays, gases, and household chemicals.
These substances can reach the brain quickly through the lungs. A person may feel light-headed, detached, dizzy, or euphoric. Some people may use them in a car or shortly before driving. That timing can matter greatly in an impaired-driving investigation.
How Inhalants Can Affect Driving
Inhalants can affect the parts of the brain that control movement, attention, and judgment. Possible effects include:
- Slower reaction time
- Poor balance and coordination
- Confusion or disorientation
- Slurred speech
- Drowsiness
- Poor decisions
- Trouble keeping control of a vehicle
DFE and similar chemicals can also affect the heart. In some cases, inhalant use can trigger a dangerous heart rhythm. This risk is sometimes described as "sudden sniffing death." The point isn't to scare people. It's to recognize that inhalants can create serious medical risks, even when the effects seem brief.
Nitrous oxide can also cause short-term dizziness, altered perception, and poor coordination. Its effects may fade quickly after use stops. That short time frame creates special problems when officers and medical staff try to evaluate a person later.
Why Inhalant Impairment Can Be Hard to Evaluate
Inhalant cases don't always look like typical alcohol cases.
The visible signs may fade before an officer arrives. A person may appear confused, tired, or unsteady, but those same signs can come from alcohol, medication, illness, fatigue, stress, or another substance.
Officers may also not recognize inhalant use right away. A canister, cartridge, or other item may not prove when or how it was used. A person's behavior may provide useful information, but the behavior must be considered along with the timing and other evidence.
Field observations don't always identify the specific substance involved. They also may not show how impaired a person was at the exact time of driving.
Why a Breath Test May Not Answer Every Question
A standard breath test is designed to measure alcohol in a person's breath. It doesn't test for every substance that may affect driving.
A breath result may help answer an alcohol question. But a low or zero alcohol result doesn't rule out impairment from DFE, nitrous oxide, medication, or another drug. It also doesn't establish what happened if the suspected substance is no longer visible or measurable.
That's where toxicology may play a different role. Blood testing and laboratory analysis can look for substances that a breath test can't detect. However, testing must be done correctly, and the result still requires careful interpretation.
What Toxicology Can, and Can't, Show
A toxicology result may show that a substance was present in a blood sample. It may also report a concentration, which is the amount measured in that sample.
Those facts are important, but they aren't the same as proving the person's level of impairment.
A positive result doesn't automatically establish:
- The exact time the substance was used
- The person's impairment level while driving
- Whether the substance caused the observed behavior
- Whether the person was still impaired when the sample was collected
Timing matters because inhalants can act quickly and leave the body quickly. DFE may remain detectable after its strongest effects have passed. Nitrous oxide can be especially difficult to measure because it's volatile and may dissipate rapidly.
The result may depend on when the sample was collected, what type of sample was used, the laboratory method, the storage conditions, and the qualifications of the analyst. A concentration may add context, but it shouldn't be treated like an alcohol number unless science supports that comparison.
Questions to Ask When Reviewing an Inhalant OWI Case
If an OWI case involves alleged inhalant impairment, useful questions may include:
- What was the reason for the traffic stop?
- What driving behavior did the officer observe?
- What signs of impairment did the officer describe?
- How much time passed between driving, the stop, and testing?
- Was a breath test completed? What question could that test actually answer?
- Was blood collected? If so, when and where?
- What substances did the laboratory test for?
- Was DFE or nitrous oxide included in the testing?
- What does the laboratory report actually say?
- Does the report show presence, concentration, or both?
- How was the sample collected, sealed, transported, and stored?
- Could the substance have been lost because of its volatility?
- Was a qualified analyst involved?
- Are the laboratory method and results properly documented?
- Is there evidence of alcohol, medication, illness, fatigue, or another possible cause of the observed behavior?
These questions don't decide a case by themselves. They help identify what the evidence can prove and where it may have limits.
Indiana OWI Defense in Jennings County
An inhalant-related OWI case deserves individual attention. I'm a small town lawyer who listens to what you have to say, explains your options, and helps you understand the practical next steps.
I'm in Vernon and serve North Vernon and surrounding Jennings County communities, including Vernon, Butlerville, Commiskey, Scipio, and Hayden. I also serve nearby areas such as Columbus, Seymour, and Versailles. If work outside the local area requires significant travel, I'll discuss travel fees in advance.
If you're facing an Indiana OWI defense matter involving inhalants, DFE, nitrous oxide, or another substance, call (812) 979-0107 or visit chrisdoranlaw.com. Meetings are by appointment.
This article provides general information, not legal advice. Every case depends on its own facts, evidence, and current Indiana law.