A California organization is suing three chain stores for allegedly selling household products that teenagers are using to get high.

The JFK Center for Civil Rights says Lowe's, Target and Home Depot have sold glue, paint and paint thinner to children. Inhaling the substances creates a high.

The U.S. National Inhalant Prevention Coalition says up to 125 deaths occur every year because of "huffing."

The center has asked a judge to order the stores to change their business practices and to repay the money from sales of products to minors that could be used for huffing.

The suit concerns a 1979 California law that forbids selling products with toluene to minors. Toluene is an industrial solvent found in paints, lacquers, resins, cleaners and glues.

The manufacturer's warning says the product contains toluene, which is potentially deadly to kids. The center sent minors to several stores to see if they could buy paint thinner.

"No child was ever asked for an I.D.," says Oscar Valencia, attorney for the center.

Kathryn Gallagher of Home Depot says the chain has procedures to prevent the sale of certain products. Spray paints are in a cage and cashiers who scan certain items have a prompt telling them to ask the buyer for identification to prove their age.

Repeated use of inhalants to get high can cause brain damage, learning disabilities and memory problems.

Parents have been told to look for signs their children are huffing:

  • rashes around the mouth and nose
  • red, glassy eyes
  • respiratory problems
  • intense mood swings