Nitrous oxide can cause severe injury, paralysis and even death. So why is it easier to get for teenagers than energy drinks or cigarettes?
Welcome to America’s next public health crisis that is being underwritten by big business and ignored by the US government.
Nitrous oxide has been around for many decades and used in a variety of products, including in whipped cream canisters, and car engines to give them an extra power boost. It is also popularly known as ‘laughing gas’ which dentists administer to their patients for pain relief. Only lately has nitrous oxide, marketed under the name of ‘Galaxy Gas,’ become popular among today’s youth in search of a cheap buzz.
Although ostensibly marketed as a culinary product, Galaxy Gas is sold in colorful bottles with alluring flavors, such as Mango Smoothie, Strawberry Cream and Vanilla Cupcake. Meanwhile, the product (Galaxy Gas is just one of dozens of brands selling nitrous oxide) has been popularized on social media, where influencers on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube have led millions of youths astray in search of a quick and affordable jolt of euphoria.
Various brands of nitrous oxide canisters can easily be bought online from major marketplaces including Walmart, Amazon and eBay. Though most companies require purchasers to be over 18 to order them, they’ve still found their way into the hands of many teens (Following reports of abuse, Galaxy Gas has paused direct sales from their website and is facing regulatory action due to health risks).
Across the US, more than 25 million people over the age of 12 may have tried inhalants, according to a survey from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. And data shows adolescents from 12-17 more commonly use ‘whippets’ than those who are 18 and older.
Galaxy Gas attempts to skirt the law by stating on its canisters that “it is illegal to purposely inhale our product,” which of course has the effect of making the young and impressionable do exactly what they are told not to do. Despite, or because of, the warning labels, the inhalation of Galaxy Gas is becoming an epidemic in the US and beyond with an increasing number of victims every year.
In February 2023, Ellen Mercer, 24, died in a British hospital two weeks after she was left bedbound by burning her legs with a nitrous oxide canister. According to the coroner’s report, Mercer’s death was caused by her substance abuse and a blood clot. The young woman, clearly addicted to the inhalant, was said to have inhaled two to three “big bottles” of the gas a day.
Meg Caldwell is another individual who lost her life due to her addiction to Galaxy Gas. Caldwell began inhaling the gas during the pandemic. With everyone locked down and little to do, it seemed that a few harmless hits of nitrous oxide wouldn’t hurt. According to the young woman’s family, her addiction quickly spiraled out of control and wrecked her life. She died at the age of 23 of an overdose in a parking lot outside of a smoke shop where she purchased the gas. The Caldwell family has filed a lawsuit against Galaxy Gas and several other companies, alleging that they marketed the substance for recreational use while disguising it as a culinary product.
One reason the inhalation of Galaxy Gas has become so dangerous is people are inhaling the gas directly from the nozzle of the bottle.
“In medical use, nitrous oxide is given in conjunction with a pretty high flow of oxygen,” says Dr. Bryan Baskin, Co-Director of Operations of the Cleveland Clinic’s Emergency Services. “That helps to keep people safe from some of the dangerous effects of the gas. People using it recreationally aren’t taking those precautions. They’re just getting straight shots of it, which can be harmful, particularly with repeated use.”
The nitrous oxide that enters your body starves the brain of oxygen, creating a dizzy, heady feeling that can last anywhere from a few seconds to five minutes. The user takes a hit, enjoys the feeling, and then wants more of the same, leading to abuse of the product. Chasing the high again and again deprives the brain and other organs of the oxygen they need for normal bodily function. At the very least, users may lose consciousness while inhaling the gas, thereby sustaining physical injuries like concussions. But there are other worse side effects.
As mentioned, most people choose to inhale the gas directly from the canister, which is incredibly dangerous due to simple physics. Galaxy Gas and other such products seal the nitrous oxide in the canisters as a liquid, which, when released, comes out at extremely low temperatures. So low in fact that it can actually give the user frostbite on the mouth and throat. It can also freeze the lungs.
Long-term users of nitrous oxide report major nerve problems, impaired memory, loss of concentration and loss of coordination. The brain and spinal column could become inflamed, leading to cases of full-blown paralysis. It doesn’t sound like an innocent party drug anymore, now does it?
So what is the government doing about the problem? Sadly, almost nothing. The level of regulation of nitrous oxide in the US is shockingly bad. There’s no official FDA certification; there’s no mandatory purity tests to ensure no contaminants of even more harmful substances; there’s no size limits on the canisters; there are no import controls for cheaper, less regulated variants from other countries like China; there’s no guaranteed standardization of manufacturing or the content inside of these bottles. There literally could be anything inside, like heavy metal residue or hydrocarbons. In other words, a sticker saying it’s safe doesn’t make it safe. The same way that putting a ‘do not inhale’ warning on a canister won’t stop people from doing it.
Even the bottles themselves are dangerous. Keep in mind, these are pressurized metal canisters, weighing upwards to two or more kilos. Effectively pipe bombs that people can get a buzz from. Due to the pressure inside of the canisters, manufacturing defects, heat or poor handling can result in explosive decompression. A loosely fitting valve or a poorly fitted seal on the canister could mean the difference between life and death.
Perhaps worst of all is how the product, with its playful packaging, is targeted at a younger audience that is less able to differentiate between what is healthy for them and what is potentially fatal.
It’s time for the US government to get involved and crack down on the peddlers of this dangerous product before anyone else loses their life prematurely.