Aurolac is an industrial adhesive sold in
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...
, designed for use in repairing terracotta stoves, which is commonly abused as an
inhalant
Inhalants are a broad range of household and industrial chemicals whose volatile vapors or pressurized gases can be concentrated and breathed in via the nose or mouth to produce intoxication, in a manner not intended by the manufacturer. They ...
.
The law HG 767/2001 applies restrictions on where and how aurolac, which it uses as a generic term for a variety of substances containing
ethers
In organic chemistry, ethers are a class of compounds that contain an ether group—an oxygen atom connected to two alkyl or aryl groups. They have the general formula , where R and R′ represent the alkyl or aryl groups. Ethers can again be ...
,
ketones,
acetates, as well as
methanol and
toluene
Toluene (), also known as toluol (), is a substituted aromatic hydrocarbon. It is a colorless, water-insoluble liquid with the smell associated with paint thinners. It is a mono-substituted benzene derivative, consisting of a methyl group (CH3) a ...
, can be sold.
In 2000, a child named Bogdan who had abused aurolac was photographed while naked and crying in a tram station in Bucharest's Rahova district. Later he went to Finland to find fortune and a better life.< The image was widely published and used to define Romania's transition.ref name="Delcea">
References
{{Romania-stub
Inhalants