Footage of Aboriginal children mounting planes to sniff fuel and get intoxicated has sparked a public health crisis in Australia's Northern Territories.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation published security tapes that showed the children climbing onto the stationary planes at Elcho Island Airport
Petrol sniffing has long devastated Aboriginal communities in Australia and in 2005 a fuel substitute called Opal—which does not contain the same hydrocarbons as those which give a high—was introduced in some areas of the country.
Aviation fuel is particularly dangerous as it contains lead, exposure to which can damage the brain and nervous system.
"Sniffing can be fatal," Miwatj Health, chief health officer, Lucas de Toca told Sky News.
"It's a public health emergency."
Around 100 young people and children in Elcho Island and a nearby area are believed to have sniffed the fuel since last March, with the youngest seven years old.
Nine people including one adult have been taken to Darwin for medical treatment.
Leaders of Aboriginal community are profoundly concerned about the problem and have held emergency over how to tackle it.
"Our kids are ending up in hospital by getting infected by chemicals, which is bad for them," one Aboriginal elder, John Gurrumgurrum Burarrwanga, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.
The Northern Territories has provided $70,000 funding for extra security at Elcho Island airstrip, however the Marthakal Group, which runs the airport, believes the best solution would be a $400,000 high security facility.
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