Statements of Fact

Merck & Co., Inc.: Where patients come first.
Volatile Nitrites/Poppers
"Amyl nitrite (poppers) may be inhaled to alter consciousness and enhance sexual pleasure. Use is particularly prominent among urban male homosexuals. Other nitrites (butyl, isobutyl)--eg, Locker Room and Rush--are in use. There is little evidence of significant hazard, although nitrites and nitrates produce vasodilation, with brief hypotension, dizziness, and flushing, followed by reflex tachycardia." Copyright © 1995-2006 Merck & Co., Inc.

James Curran, M.D.
the CDCs Chief AIDS Investigator
In a letter to the one-man, San Francisco-based 'Committee to Monitor Poppers' Dr. Curran responded to the committee’s request that he take an anti-popper position by telling the committee that "Current data does not warrant an anti-popper campaign." May 6,1985


Mark Novitch, M.D.
FDA Commissioner
In a letter to the White House said that, based on existing data, "...there is very little evidence of acute toxicity related to use of butyl nitrite." “...relative to lifetime use by homosexuals, although some groups contend that the possibility exists that repeated use among homosexuals may produce adverse effects, there is virtually no direct evidence to support that." April 18, 1984


P.R.J. Gangadharam
Researcher
Six months after being widely reported in the media to have 'linked' nitrite inhalation to AIDS and its diseases, in a letter to Paul Varnel, Research Director for the Illinois Gay and Lesbian Task Force, reverses himself when saying: "It is not mentioned, nor is it our intention to say, that isobutyl nitrite causes AIDS, nor does it precipitate or intensify the disease status of the AIDS people." February 24, 1986


Ray Hamilton
Director of Recall and Litigation, Bureau of Drugs
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
In an official FDA statement clarifying the agency's feelings on the subject of butyl nitrite, Mr. Hamilton said: "...the FDA does not plan to devote resources to a project involving room odorizers containing alkyl nitrites because of the absence of demonstrable hazard." January 30,1981


John A. Liddle, Ph.D.
Public Health Service(PHS)
Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
In a letter to the New York Consumer Protection Board Dr. Liddle told the Board, "No positive correlation between the use of organic nitrites and the onset of AIDS was ever demonstrated." May 10, 1985


Radhey L. Singhal, Ph. D., Professor and Chairman Department of Pharmacology, University of Ottawa
In a letter to Canada's Product Safety Branch, Consumer and Corporate Affairs, says, "As stated in our report, we have concluded that occasional inhalation of isobutyl nitrite for its 'inebrient' effect in a recreational context is unlikely to pose a health hazard..." July 30,1979


J.J. Goedert, M.D. & W.A. Blattner, M.D.
National Cancer Institute, NIH
In the lead chapter of one of the finest new AIDS research and therapy books(l), Dr. Goedert and Dr. Blattner at the National Cancer Institute discuss inhalation of nitrites and say, "...it now appears that frequent use of nitrite inhalants simply may be a surrogate marker of frequent receptive anal intercourse."

(1)Goedert, J.J. and Blattner, W.A. The epidemiology of AIDS and related conditions. W: AIDS: ETILOLOGY, DIAGNOSIS, TREATMENT, AND PREVENTION. eds.: DeVita, V.T., Heuman, S. and Rosenbert, S.A. 1985 J.B. Lippincott Company. New York

Cladd Stevens, M.D., Head of Laboratory of Epidemeology
The New York Blood Center
While conducting one of this nation's largest ongoing studies of gay men and AIDS, during a meeting with J.F. Miller, President and CEO of Great Lakes Products, Inc., Dr. Stevens said: "Based on the data I've accumulated over the past five years, there appears to be no correlation between inhalation of butyl nitrite and AIDS or any of its infections." February 26, 1986 *Meeting held in Dr. Steven's offices at New York Blood Center, New York City


Bruce Voeller, Ph.D. President, Mariposa Foundation, Nationally-known AIDS researcher who gave AIDS its name, co-founder National Gay Task Force
In a major article on AIDS and "poppers" printed in the California newspaper, SAN DIEGO UPDATE: "...the intense campaigns against the use of volatile nitrites conducted by some, are slim in scientific merit. We need to get off poppers", or make a case against them through better science. We've been too preoccupied with "poppers" (as a possible co-factor) to the exclusion of everything else. By continuing up the wrong path, we loose time finding the right one." April 30, 1986


U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Memorandum to National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
"...data would seem to indicate that the abuse of nitrites is relatively unlikely to result In a medical emergency." March 8, 1984

James W. Mosely, M.D.
University of Southern California Medical School professor who heads the U.S. government's largest, multi-million dollar program studying the AIDS virus and the nation's blood supply
In sworn testimony before a state legislative committee, stated that he had reviewed the evidence regarding isobutyl nitrite and AIDS, and that he regarded the claims of danger to be ill-founded. December 1985

U.S. Government Findings: Alkyl Nitrite Misuse by High School Students is Not a Problem in the U.S.
Although abuse of nitrite-based room odorants was never a significant problem with minors, National Institute on Drug Abuse statistics have shown a "substantial drop in the use of the amyl and butyl nitrites..."
NIH and NIDA publication: DRUGS AND AMERICAN HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS 1975-1983

D. Lewis, of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
As reported in U.S. Medicine, while speaking in an AIDS session at the Public Health Service (PHS) annual meeting, reported his animal research with isobutyl nitrite indicated the substance is not immunotoxic for mice.
June 15, 1983


Cable News Network (CNN)
During a segment on AIDS: "In another development this week, federal investigators did a study of the stimulant isobutyl nitrite ... which was thought to have a depressing effect on the immune system. Studies on mice indicate the compound doesn't directly harm the body's defenses. September 8, 1983

A ‘Fact Sheet’, originally publish in 1988 by Chemsearch, Ltd, of Indianapolis, IN

Here are the facts


"Poppers"... What are they?

1. "Poppers" is the street term used for nearly 50 years to describe the misuse of any alkyl nitrite (including amyl nitrite, isobutyl nitrite and butyl nitrite) as inhalants for recreational purposes.

2. Although "Poppers" have only recently come to the public attention, alkyl nitrites have been inhaled for over one hundred years. They have had a long and well-documented history of public safety. This record is strongly reinforced by the fact that during the past 35 years a very high probability has existed that a large percentage of all nitrite odorants sold were misused as "poppers".

Who Wants Them Banned and Why?

1. Despite that long safety record of alkyl nitrites, the AIDS phenomenon opened the door of opportunity for certain self-serving individuals to promote themselves as “experts" on the study of "poppers" and to condemn their use as unsafe. These self-proclaimed "experts" did not have the knowledge of immunology or epidemiology to make informed judgments about AIDS or its cause. Real experts now tell us that AIDS is caused, not by "poppers", but by a virus and that the misuse of nitrites as "poppers" appears rather clearly NOT to be causally associated with AIDS or any of its opportunistic infections. In 1987, the large MCS study, among others, confirmed that no such connection exists.

Are They Really Safe?

1. Anti-"popper" individuals suggest "poppers" are unsafe because they are not regulated by any government agency. This is simply not true. Of the compounds most commonly used as "poppers", amyl nitrite is regulated by the FDA and nitrite-based room odorizers are regulated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Within the past few years, the CPSC has twice been asked to restrict isobutyl nitrite products and has twice, after thorough investigation, decided that the safety record of these products did not indicate that such action was necessary. Although responsible nitrite odorant manufacturers have never encouraged or promoted the misuse of their nitrite odorants as "poppers", they have long recognized the high probability of such misuse. They, therefore, have shared a deep concern and responsibility toward each responsible adult user of these products. (in much the same manner that responsible children's crayon manufacturers recognize that their crayons will be eaten and thus assure that they are safely edible.)

2. A review of the literature clearly shows that inhalation of the alkyl nitrites poses no significant health hazard.


©1988 by Chemsearch, Ltd