Inhalant abuse among U.S. teenagers is on the rise at a time when overall use of illegal drugs is declining, a report released Thursday finds.

According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, conducted in 2002, about 2.6 million people between ages 12 and 17 reported having tried inhalants in the past, CNN reports. Two years earlier, the figure was closer to 2.1 million.

Inhalants are commonly used household products such as glue, spray paint, and cleaners. Teenagers sniff the vapors to get high.

"The use of inhalants is a big concern since these products are legal and can result in irreparable brain damage or death," CNN quotes Charles Curie of the survey's sponsor, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, as saying. The agency is a division of the Department of Health and Human Services.

According to the CNN account, the report concluded that teens who abuse inhalants are also three times more likely to use other drugs. Overall, illegal drug use among teens has fallen 10 percent since 1998.