Poppers Bibliography
John Lauritsen, author of "The AIDS War"
It is a matter of grave concern that there has been, in the past few years, a resurgence of
drug use among gay men. The fashionable gay drugs now seem to be crystal meth,
ecstasy, and Special K, as well as such standbys as alcohol, poppers, cocaine, and
quaaludes.
Since 1983 I have been trying to warn gay men about the dangers of poppers (volatile
nitrites), in collaboration with Hank Wilson of San Francisco, who in 1981 founded
the Committee to Monitor Poppers. Our efforts were largely successful. Laws banning
poppers were passed by local and state governments, and finally by the U.S. Congress.
Many gay men stopped using poppers, as they became aware of their
immunosuppressive and carcinogenic properties.
Here in New York City, poppers are sold openly, despite the fact that they are illegal
by both state and federal law. The miasma of popper fumes has again become a
taken-for-granted aspect of the "gay lifestyle".
Poppers are hazardous to the health in many different ways: They damage the immune
system. They reduce the ability of blood to carry oxygen. They cause anemia (both
Heinz body hemolytic anemia and methemoglobinemia). They damage the lungs. They
cause cellular changes. Poppers are strongly mutagenic (that is, they cause genes to
mutate), and they have the potential to cause cancer by producing deadly N-nitroso
compounds. Poppers can cause serious skin burns and death or brain damage from
cardiovascular collapse or stroke. Poppers have been used successfully to commit
suicide (by drinking) and murder. (The victim was gagged with a sock soaked with
poppers.)
There are strong epidemiological links between the use of poppers and the
development of AIDS, especially Kaposi's sarcoma (KS). In AIDS cases, KS is found
almost entirely among gay men who used poppers, not among members of other "risk
groups".
For those who want further information, I have prepared the following bibliography:
Toxicities of Poppers (Nitrite Inhalants)
A Brief Bibliography
BOOKS:
Harry W. Haverkos and John A. Dougherty (editors).
*Health Hazards of Nitrite Inhalants*.
NIDA Research Monograph 83, 1988.
National Institute on Drug Abuse.
John Lauritsen and Hank Wilson.
*Death Rush: Poppers & AIDS*.
New York 1986.
(out-of-print)
ARTICLES:
E.M. Dax, W.H. Adler, et al.
"Amyl Nitrite Alters Human In Vitro Immune Function".
Immunopharmacology and Immunotoxicology
13(4), 577-587 (1991)
Adi A. Gerblich, Ann E. Campbell, et al.
"Changes in T-cell Lymphocyte Subpopulations After Antigenic
Bronchial Provocation in Asthmatics".
New England Journal of Medicine, May 1984.
David A. Guss, Sven A. Normann, et al.
"Clinically Significant Methemoglobinemia from Inhalation of
Isobutyl Nitrite". American Journal of Emergency Medicine, January 1985.
Thomas H. Haley.
"Review of the Physiological Effects of Amyl, Butyl, and Isobutyl
Nitrites". Clinical Toxicology, pp. 317-329, 1980.
Evan M. Hersh, James M. Reuben, et al.
"Effect of the Recreational Agent Isobutyl Nitrite on Human Blood
Leukocytes and on in Vitro Interferon Production".
Cancer Research, March 1983.
McDonald K. Horne, III, Michael R. Waterman, et al.
"Methemoglobinemia from Sniffing Butyl Nitrite".
Annals of Internal Medicine, September 1979.
Richard F. Jacobs, Daniel J. Marmer, et al.
"Cellular Immunotoxicity of Amyl Nitrite".
Journal of Toxicology- Clinical Toxicology, pp. 421-449 (1983).
Karl A. Jo/rgensen and Sven-Olov Lawesson.
"Amyl Nitrite and Kaposi's Sarcoma in Homosexual Men".
New England Journal of Medicine, 30 September 1982.
John Lauritsen.
"NIDA Meeting Calls For Research Into The Poppers-Kaposi's Sarcoma
Connection".
New York Native, issue 582, 13 June 1994.
(available via e-mail: request from laurit@panix.com).
Eva Lotzova, Cherylyn A. Savary, et al.
"Depression of Murine Natural Killer Cell Cytotoxicity by Isobutyl
Nitrite".
Cancer Immunology Immunotherapy, pp. 130-134, vol. 17, 1984.
D.J. Marmer, R.F. Jacobs, et al.
"In Vitro Immunotoxicity of Amyl Nitrite".
Clinical Research, vol 30, no. 5, 1982.
J.R. Neefe, A. Ganjii, et al.
"Daily Amyl Nitrite Inhalation Decreases Mouse Splenocyte Response
to Concanavalin A".
Federation Proceedings 42 (abstract 3850), 5 March 1983.
Guy R. Newell, Stephen C. Adams, et al.
"Toxicity, Immunosuppressive Effects and Carcinogenic Potential of
volatile Nitrites: Possible relationship to Kaposi's
Sarcoma".
Pharmacotherapy, September 1984.
Jesse S. Ortiz and Vilma L. Rivera.
"The Effect of Amyl Nitrite on T-Cell Function in Mice".
(Presentation to the American Public Health Association
convention, November 1985).
Reprinted in Haverkos, op. cit.
J. Osterloh and D. Goldfield.
"Butyl Nitrite Transformation in Vitro, Chemical Nitrosation
Reactions, and Mutagenesis".
Journal of Analytical Toxicology, July/August 1984.
I. Quinto.
"The Mutagenicity of Alkylnitrites in the Salmonella test".
(Translation from the Italian).
Bolletino Societa Italiana Biologia Sperimentale, 1980, 56:816-
820.
K.R. Romeril and A.J. Concannon.
"Heinz Body Haemolytic Anaemia after Sniffing Volatile Nitrites".
The Medical Journal of Australia, March 1981.
Lee S.F. Soderberg and John B. Barnett.
"Exposure to Inhaled Isobutyl Nitrite Reduces T Cell Blastogenesis
and Antibody Responsiveness".
Fundamental and Applied Toxicology.
17, 821-824 (1991).
©John Lauritsen, virusmyth.net
