New York, NY (AHN)-According to a newly released Partnership for a Drug-Free America report, about 20 percent of U.S. teenagers admit they have gotten high by inhaling common household products, and fewer understand the dangers of this practice compared with teenagers five years ago.

Steve Pasierb, president and CEO of the Partnership, says, sniffing or "huffing" vapors from ordinary products like glue, spray paint, nail polish remover and gasoline was once a "fringe" activity, but by the mid-1990s, had "exploded nationwide."

According to the new findings, based on a national survey of more than 7,200 teenagers and 1,200 parents, awareness has waned and abuse is on the rise.

Overall, the survey found, 64 percent of teens "strongly" agreed that huffing can be fatal, down 19 percent from 2001. And 77 percent strongly agreed that inhalants can cause brain damage, down 9 percent.

The survey also found that only 5 percent of the parents in the survey thought their child had ever abused an inhalant, although 20 percent of teens say they have.