Laughing gas crisis: Nitrous oxide misuse and abuse is rising in the U.S.

Nitrous oxide, better known as laughing gas, is making headlines for all the wrong reasons. Despite warnings from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), more people across the U.S. are misusing the substance – often with tragic results.

Once a common feature in dental offices and whipped cream canisters, this gas is now tied to a sharp increase in poisonings, hospitalizations, and even deaths.

Researchers from the University of Mississippi and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are investigating this growing trend, sounding the alarm about its risks.

“This is a chemical that is commonly used as a sedative or anesthetic, but what we’re seeing is a rise in recreational use,” said Andrew Yockey, University of Mississippi assistant professor of public health.

“But what we’re also seeing is also a rise in hospitalizations, in poisonings and in deaths.”

Nitrous oxide deaths are doubling

According to the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, over 13 million Americans have misused nitrous oxide at some point in their lives.

And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that deaths from nitrous oxide poisoning have more than doubled – rising over 110% between 2019 and 2023.

While the number of deaths remains relatively low compared to other drugs, the speed of the increase is cause for concern.

“The preliminary findings of our study are that deaths have remained fairly small compared to other dangerous substances,” said Rachel Hoopsick, assistant professor of health and kinesiology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

“But what we’re seeing is that over the last couple of years, those rates have increased exponentially. At that continued rate, we could be looking at a much larger problem.”

Why nitrous oxide slips under the radar

Whippets – another name for nitrous oxide canisters – have long been used for a quick, euphoric high.

But the side effects are no joke. The FDA warns that repeated inhalation can lead to brain damage, frostbite, numbness, blood clots, and even paralysis.

Despite these warnings, the gas remains widely accessible and largely unregulated.

Unlike many controlled substances, nitrous oxide is easy to buy online or at local shops. A simple search brings up brightly packaged, flavored options – clearly designed to catch the attention of younger audiences.

“Think back to big tobacco; they deliberately targeted young people with cartoons, fun flavors and flashy colors,” said Hoopsick. “That is a parallel we’re seeing now with nitrous oxide.”

The product is often marketed as a whipped cream propellant. But some of the available options make the culinary angle hard to believe.

“I really doubt anyone is buying flavored nitrous oxide to make blueberry mango whipped cream,” Yockey said. “Or ‘Bomb Pop.’ But I can have it delivered to my house in a couple of days.”

Marketing tactics that mimic big tobacco

What’s even more alarming is how sellers downplay the risks.

“We have evidence that nitrous oxide poisoning is a very real danger, but this is very often ignored or trivialized,” said Hoopsick.

“Sellers of nitrous oxide rarely, if ever, provide health warnings. I think the public sees it as a party drug.”

And like many dangerous trends, social media is making things worse. Videos of teens and young adults inhaling the gas are easy to find online, often glamorized with hashtags and flashy effects.

“We know that if you watch videos of someone else doing it, you’re more likely to try it,” said Yockey.

“I worry about the high school and college-aged adolescents who see this online and decide to buy a fruit-punch flavored tank. Because right now, that’s perfectly legal.”

A call for policy change

The researchers believe that more data is needed to understand the full impact of nitrous oxide misuse. But they also stress that legislation must catch up with reality.

“Policy level interventions are what are lacking at the moment,” Hoopsick said.

“If we have some guardrails on who can sell this, who can buy it and how it’s marketed, maybe we can get ahead of the problem.”

For now, the listings keep growing. And with speedy shipping options, the danger is just a few clicks away.

“Some of these brands were not here even a week ago,” Yockey said, scrolling through listings on his screen. “What they’re doing here is very ingenious, but it’s also incredibly dangerous.”

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