Latest news with #nitrousoxide
BBC News
5 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Nitrous oxide nuisance sees New Ash Green volunteer take action
A volunteer from Kent has taken action after noticing an increase in nitrous oxide cannisters being left scattered around the village he has lived in for over 40 oxide, also known as laughing gas, is used as a painkiller in medicine and dentistry or in catering, for example in whipped cream has been banned outside specific purposes since November 2023, but is abused Vaughan, who decided to carry out a litter pick of the cannisters being dumped in New Ash Green car park, said it was "a real problem in this area". "In the last six months or so there have been these cannisters laying around," said Mr Vaughan."On a Friday and Saturday night you get these kids coming down in their cars and parking up, normally on one of the bays which is a bit out of the way."Having first bought a litter picker to dispose of these cannisters around four years ago, he decided to do the same again in light of this one day about a month ago he said he counted 28 cannisters.A passer-by told BBC South East that the cannisters can also be seen in the surrounding areas, including "all down the little alleyways"."When we're walking pretty much every Sunday morning it's full of it everywhere to be honest," they resident Angela, who is involved in the local residents' society, said this went beyond a nuisance issue."It worries me that people are using this, and what it's doing to their health," she said. In a worst-case scenario, inhalation of nitrous oxide can lead to hypoxia, where the brain does not get enough oxygen. This can result in death. Regular inhalation can also lead to a Vitamin B12 deficiency which can cause nerve damage, degradation of the spinal column and even paralysis.
BBC News
6 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
How 'laughing gas' became a deadly - but legal
But for some, these warnings came too late. In 2023, the family of a 25-year-old woman, Marissa Politte successfully sued Nitrous Distributor United Brands for $745m in damages after the radiology technician was killed by a driver high on nitrous oxide. The jury found the company responsible for selling the product in the knowledge that it would be misused. "Marissa Politte's death shouldn't have happened in the first place, but my God, it should be the last," Johnny Simon, the Politte family's lawyer, said at the time. In the years since there have been several fatal traffic accidents involving the gas both in the US and the UK. Meanwhile, Ms Caldwell's family have launched a class action lawsuit against manufacturers and distributors of nitrous oxide, hoping to remove the product from retail sales across the US for good. "The people who administer nitrous oxide in a dentist office now have to go through hours and hours of training, she said. "It just is crazy to me that the drug can be purchased in a smoke shop to anyone who goes in." "Unfortunately, it's become very obvious that the manufacturers and the owners of the smoke shops are not going to do the moral thing and take this off the shelves themselves," Ms Dial said.
BBC News
6 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
How nitrous oxide became a deadly - but legal
Nitrous oxide – known colloquially as "laughing gas" – has many uses, from a painkiller during dental procedures to a whipping agent for canned whipped its euphoric side effects have long been known, the rise of vaping has helped create a perfect delivery vehicle for the gas - and a perfect recipe for an addiction, experts Caldwell's death wasn't horseback rider from Florida had started using nitrous oxide recreationally in university eight years ago. But like many young people, she started to use more heavily during the youngest of four sisters, she was was "the light of our lives," her sister Kathleen Dial told the Ms Caldwell's use continued to escalate, to the point that her addiction "started running her life".She temporarily lost use of her legs after an overdose, which also rendered her incontinent. Still, she continued to use, buying it in local smoke shops, inhaling it in the car park and then heading straight back into the shop to buy more. She sometimes spent hundreds of dollars a died last November, in one of those car parks just outside a vape shop."She didn't think that it would hurt her because she was buying it in the smoke shop, so she thought she was using this substance legally," Ms Dial progression of Ms Caldwell's addiction – from youthful misuse to life-threatening compulsion – has become increasingly common. The Annual Report of America's Poison Centers found there was a 58 % increase in reports of intentional exposure to nitrous oxide in the US between 2023-2024. What is nitrous oxide and how dangerous is it?'Daily use of laughing gas left me in a wheelchair'In a worst-case scenario, inhalation of nitrous oxide can lead to hypoxia, where the brain does not get enough oxygen. This can result in death. Regular inhalation can also lead to a Vitamin B12 deficiency which can cause nerve damage, degradation of the spinal column and even paralysis. The number of deaths attributed to nitrous oxide poisonings rose by more than 110% between 2019 and 2023, according to the Centers for Disease Control and of nitrous oxide was criminalised in the UK in 2023 after misuse among young people increased during the pandemic. But while many states have also outlawed the recreational use of the product in the US, it is still legal to sell as a culinary product. Only Louisiana has totally banned the retail sale of the Gas, a major manufacturer, even offers recipes for dishes, including Chicken Satay with Peanut Chili Foam and Watermelon Gazpacho on their website. With flavours like Blue Raspberry or Strawberries and Cream, experts warn this loophole - as well as major changes in packaging and retail - has contributed to the rise in recently users would take single-use plain metal canisters weighing around 8g and inhale the gas using a balloon. But when usage spiked during the pandemic, nitrous oxide manufacturers began selling much larger canisters online – as large as 2kg – and, eventually, in shops selling electronic vapes and other smoking also began to package the gas in bright colourful canisters with designs featuring characters from computer games and television Aussem, of the Partnership to End Addiction, believes these developments are behind increased misuse:"Even being called Galaxy Gas or Miami Magic is marketing," she said. "If you have large canisters, then it means that more people can try it and use it and that can lead to a lot of peer pressure."The BBC reached out for comment to both Galaxy Gas and Miami Magic but did not receive a response. Amazon, where the gas is sold online, has said they are aware of customers misusing nitrous oxide and that they are working to implement further safety measures. In a response to reporting from CBS News, the BBC's news partner in the US, Galaxy Gas maintained that the gas was intended for culinary use and that they include a message on their sites warning against about nitrous oxide misuse increased last year, after several videos of people using the product went viral social media, videos of young people getting high on gas became a trend. A video uploaded in July 2024 by an Atlanta-based fast-food restaurant featured a young man inhaling Strawberries and Cream flavoured nitrous oxide saying "My name's Lil T, man", his voice made deeper by the gas. To date the clip has been viewed about 40 million times and spawned thousands of also featured heavily in rap music videos and Twitch streaming. Guests tried it on the Joe Rogan Show and rappers including Ye (formerly Kanye West) spoke about abusing the substance publicly. Ye has since sued his dentist for "recklessly" supplying Ye with "dangerous amounts of nitrous oxide".In response to the trend, TikTok blocked searches for "galaxy gas," and redirected users to a message offering resources about substance use and addiction. Rapper SZA also alerted her social media followers about its harms and slammed it for "being MASS marketed to black children".In March, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an official alert warning against inhaling the gas after it "observed an increase in reports of adverse events after inhalation of nitrous oxide products". The FDA told the BBC that it "continues to actively track adverse events related to nitrous oxide misuse and will take appropriate actions to protect the public health". But for some, these warnings came too 2023, the family of a 25-year-old woman, Marissa Politte successfully sued Nitrous Distributor United Brands for $745m in damages after the radiology technician was killed by a driver high on nitrous oxide. The jury found the company responsible for selling the product in the knowledge that it would be misused."Marissa Politte's death shouldn't have happened in the first place, but my God, it should be the last," Johnny Simon, the Politte family's lawyer, said at the time. In the years since there have been several fatal traffic accidents involving the gas both in the US and the Ms Caldwell's family have launched a class action lawsuit against manufacturers and distributors of nitrous oxide, hoping to remove the product from retail sales across the US for good."The people who administer nitrous oxide in a dentist office now have to go through hours and hours of training, she said. "It just is crazy to me that the drug can be purchased in a smoke shop to anyone who goes in.""Unfortunately, it's become very obvious that the manufacturers and the owners of the smoke shops are not going to do the moral thing and take this off the shelves themselves," Ms Dial said.
New York Times
24-05-2025
- New York Times
Brandon Williams and a case that highlights football's laughing gas issue
Amid the rush of panic she felt as the speeding Audi raced up behind her car, the motorist noticed something odd. She would later recall how the young man and woman in the erratically driven vehicle had yellow balloons hanging from their mouths. Minutes later, Brandon Williams had hit another car, causing it to spin out of control. His own hit the central reservation after a dangerous overtaking manoeuvre. Advertisement Two years later, a court heard that Williams, who had previously used nitrous oxide or 'laughing gas', as a recreational drug, was not using it himself but helping his female companion use it in the moments before the collision. It was fortunate nobody was seriously hurt or killed, although one of the occupants of the car he hit told the court she thought she was about to die. On Friday, the 24-year-old former Manchester United defender escaped jail after, in his own words to probation staff, 'driving like an idiot'. He had pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and was sentenced to a 14-month suspended prison sentence, banned from driving for three years and ordered to do community service. Williams joined Manchester United's academy aged seven and played 51 games for the first team. The defender had two spells on loan in the Championship, first with Norwich City during the 2021-22 season and then with their rivals Ipswich Town under Kieran McKenna in 2023-24. His last appearance was as a substitute against Queens Park Rangers on December 29, 2023. He has not featured again, anywhere, since. He was released by Manchester United last summer, when his contract expired. His future in the game is now uncertain. Williams' case is not an isolated incident. Other footballers have been sucked into a trend that has become popular across society, particularly among young people. To try to combat that, the UK government criminalised nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas, in November 2023. It's now a Class C drug, carrying a maximum prison sentence of two years for repeat serious users. Nitrous oxide creates a quick euphoric hit and a feeling of relaxation/happiness, but it can affect the nervous system. It is typically released into balloons from small silver canisters and then inhaled but can also be sold in larger, potentially more dangerous canisters that are used in catering services to whip cream. Advertisement Nitrous oxide became one of the most commonly used recreational drugs by 16- to 24-year-olds in the United Kingdom, spiking during the Covid-19 pandemic — but the most recent data from the Office for National Statistics suggested its popularity had peaked. Some medical professionals have warned about the rise in the number of young people needing emergency care for paralysis and nerve damage, issues they have linked back to the drug. Dr David Nicholl, the clinical lead for neurology at Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, told Sky News in 2023 that dozens of patients aged 16-24 were being admitted to his ward every month after taking the drug. Meanwhile, in January 2024, Dr Sam Khan, from the Bradford Royal Infirmary, told BBC News he was dealing with three or four cases a week relating to nitrous oxide abuse. Dr Khan said one teenage boy had to be carried into the hospital by his parents following his use of the drug. In the most serious cases, nitrous oxide can be fatal. In 2022, a 16-year-old girl, Kayleigh Burns, from Liverpool, died after taking the drug at a house party in Leamington Spa. In February 2023, student Ellen Mercer, 24, died, with an inquest finding her extreme use of the drug, which included two to three 'big bottles' a day, had contributed to her death. Berkshire coroner's court was told how large blood clots had formed in Mercer's legs and had travelled to her lungs, causing a sudden cardiorespiratory collapse, The Times reported. This month, an inquest concluded that 21-year-old Kira Booth, from Burnley, Lancashire, died after inhaling laughing gas while suffering from a chest infection. Although Chester magistrates court heard that Williams was not under the influence of nitrous oxide when he committed the offence in August 2023, both he and his companion had yellow balloons hanging from their mouths as he drove at speeds of up to 99mph (29mph above the UK's national speed limit). Advertisement 'While Mr Williams has previously used nitrous oxide as a recreational drug when he was much younger, he was not using it at the time he was driving,' his defence barrister Richard Little KC told the court. 'But he was nevertheless in a vehicle with nitrous oxide and was assisting the front seat female passenger to use it.' He added: 'It is clear that within the last few years Mr Williams has had to live with severe mental health issues and neurological issues. He has received treatment, monitoring, help and care.' How much of Williams' background influenced his behaviour that evening only he and those closest to him will truly know. But his barrister outlined the way he spiralled out of control after breaking into the Manchester United team so young. Describing the account of a coach who is helping Williams to try and revive his professional career, Mr Littler said: 'He describes him in this way: after helping him for the last three years his opinion of him is as someone who was incredibly successful at a very young age who had little guidance on the pitfalls of being a young, high-earning footballer. 'Too much money, too soon and an inability to deal with all that brings. He describes this is a common theme that football coaches experience.' GO DEEPER The complex story of Brandon Williams: His Manchester United career is over and his future uncertain In a separate case, Norwich City's Flynn Clarke was jailed for a year in September 2023 for causing serious injury to three people by dangerous driving. A court heard that Clarke, 20 at the time, was travelling to a rave and nitrous oxide canisters were found in his BMW. He admitted using nitrous oxide earlier in the journey but there were 'unclear and conflicting accounts' whether it had been taken at the time or just before the crash, the Eastern Daily Press reported. He crashed head-on into a motorhome after veering into the opposite carriageway on the A47 near Thorney, in Cambridgeshire. Advertisement Clarke was released from prison on an electronic tag under a home detention curfew in December 2023, having served three months of his sentence. He later joined Scunthorpe United, playing in the National League North on loan in February 2024, before signing permanently for semi-professional side Lowestoft Town in August after his release from Norwich. Just two months into his Lowestoft spell, Clarke suffered a patella tendon rupture playing in an FA Cup third-round qualifying match. Helen Dixon, a club director, set up a fundraiser for Clarke after his serious injury. 'Everybody should be given a second chance,' she said, as reported by the BBC. 'We all make mistakes but he is such a nice person. I don't condone what happened but it is in the past and we need to move forward and support him.' In a separate incident, Jamal Baptiste, then 20, was fined after he was seen inhaling laughing gas while driving with a friend in Dagenham, east London, in July 2023, shortly after he left West Ham United. He pleaded guilty to driving without due care and attention and was given six penalty points and a £1,000 ($1,350 at current rates) fine by magistrates in Bromley, south London. He also had to pay a £400 victim surcharge plus costs of £110. In September 2023, Baptiste joined Manchester City before moving to Belgian club Lommel on a season-long loan. He is now at Sheffield United, where he has been playing for the club's academy. A particularly high-profile instance came in April 2023, when pictures emerged of former England midfielder Dele Alli with gas canisters and a balloon in his mouth following a difficult loan spell with Besiktas in Turkey. Dele, who spoke in an emotional interview in July 2023 about his mental health issues, tough childhood and time spent in rehab, is trying to rebuild his career at Como in Italy's Serie A. Advertisement In another incident, also in April 2023, striker Connor Wickham, then at Cardiff City, shared a video of himself appearing to inhale laughing gas hours after playing in a home defeat by rivals Swansea City. His manager at the time, Sabri Lamouchi, called Wickham's behaviour 'stupid' and said the striker was 'absolutely devastated and sorry'. More recently, in August 2024, Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Yves Bissouma issued an apology after he filmed himself taking nitrous oxide, with the clips appearing on Snapchat. 'I want to apologise for these videos. This was a severe lack of judgement,' the midfielder said in a statement. 'I understand how serious this is and the health risks involved, and I also take my responsibility as a footballer and role model very seriously.' There have been numerous other examples. In December 2018, Arsenal players Alexandre Lacazette, Matteo Guendouzi, Mesut Ozil and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were filmed inhaling balloons allegedly containing nitrous oxide at a private party. Brighton & Hove Albion's Shane Duffy, Pascal Gross, Leandro Trossard and Alireza Jahanbakhsh were caught doing the same in Spain on their winter break in 2020. A string of other high-profile players, such as Kyle Walker, Mason Greenwood, Raheem Sterling, Jack Grealish and Leon Bailey, have also previously been photographed taking nitrous oxide. Walker issued an apology, as did Greenwood after admitting he had been guilty of 'poor judgement'. Grealish was issued with a warning by his manager at Aston Villa at the time, Tim Sherwood. So what are the reasons for its potential appeal among footballers? One factor is that it is highly unlikely to show up on any testing as the drug metabolises very quickly. 'You could use nitrous oxide today, be drug tested this evening and it wouldn't show,' Ian Hamilton, a lecturer in mental health and addiction at the University of York, told The Athletic. Advertisement The substance is also widely perceived as being relatively safe to use, although there are still dangers in inhaling it. 'It's obviously not as dangerous as Class A drugs like cocaine or heroin,' Hamilton added. 'It also has a legitimate medical use, so that can also lull some people into a false sense of security. 'But there are two problems with that. First, they have no training in how to use it and the other is they are not guaranteed to be sourcing medical-grade nitrous oxide. Sometimes it's not that potent so they re-dose very quickly to get an effect. But the main risk with nitrous oxide in young people is asphyxiation, where they either lose their lives or, at the very least, need to be hospitalised or can become unconscious. 'Young people also tend to use nitrous oxide with alcohol. It's not very often you see it used on its own. And because they are both depressants, they can have a cumulative effect. So you end up with a greater risk of falling unconscious or being very disoriented and your judgement being impaired. 'On a more mundane level, the risk for someone who is a professional athlete is that their blood oxygen levels are far better than the likes of us. So they are going to absorb the drug quicker and the effect of it is going to be a bit faster as well. So although their fitness protects them in one way, it's a risk in another.' Nitrous oxide can also lower the levels of vitamin B12, which is integral for nerve function. As sport science professor John Brewer told Sky: 'If you are a top-level footballer trying to make skilful movements and pass a ball effectively, you don't want your nerves to be damaged in any way because you need that peripheral ability to sense movements.' Most clubs offer workshops on safeguarding matters, such as gambling, and concerns around nitrous oxide are now sometimes one of the topics flagged in such sessions. One Premier League manager at a club in Europe this season specifically asked for nitrous oxide to be included as a topic in such briefings to players. At one Premier League club, the Football Association's anti-doping workshop is delivered at the start of every season to all their under-18 and under-21 players. The session covers social drugs, including nitrous oxide, to educate the players on what it is and its side effects. That is then discussed through further workshops, including their under-18s life-skill programme. Advertisement A consultant who works in player care, but wished to remain anonymous to protect relationships with his clients, explained how they warned footballers about the drug. 'Until recently, it was legally available and allowed for recreational use,' he said. 'Historically, it's been one of those things where we've said, 'You shouldn't be doing it, but if you are going to do it, make sure it's off camera and don't be stupid with your social media use'. 'I think that's where a lot of the education will come from… it would be more on the social media side. 'It's something where we'd push a message of 'be a good role model' more than anything else, which might sound a bit weak, but it's more about the questioning and being aware of who might be filming you.' Sue Parris, a former head of academy player care, education and welfare at Brighton and founder of The Changing Room, a platform to support footballers navigate the ups and downs of their sport, felt the key issue was trying to understand why players were taking the drug in the first place. 'Nitrous oxide is being used by youngsters, but also by pros as well,' she said. 'But for me, that's not the issue, it's another substance being used to cover up emotions and experiences that people need to escape from within the football culture. It's just another avenue some are taking that they feel is a softer option than alcohol or drugs or sex or spending money or gambling. The actual substance is not the issue. It's, why are they using anything at all?' When asked about nitrous oxide and whether it was prevalent in football, a spokesman for the Professional Footballers' Association said it had not yet emerged as a major concern — as opposed to snus, a tobacco product that comes in small parcels, and is then put into the mouth to release nicotine into the bloodstream. For Brandon Williams, depression and the pressures of professional football led to some very bad decisions that came to a head one August evening when his car, and life, veered perilously off the tracks. He may not have been high on nitrous oxide at that moment, but the drug played its part in his distressing back story. It should also heed as a warning. Whatever you're going through, you can call the Samaritans any time, from any phone, on 116 123 (UK) or 1-800-273-TALK (USA). FRANK provides a confidential service in the UK to anyone wanting information, advice or support about any aspect of drugs. You can call free in the UK, from any phone, on 0300 123 6600. (Illustration: Eamonn Dalton/The Athletic;)
The Sun
22-05-2025
- Health
- The Sun
I've got DEAD zones in my brain and can't feel my feet after mistaking my £160-a-day laughing gas high for harmless fun
RACHEL Kelly was forced to relearn how to walk after her £160-a-day nitrous oxide habit killed off parts of her brain and numbed her limbs. The 29-year-old first tried laughing gas when she was just 21, while working at a bar in Michigan, US, in 2018. 11 11 11 By 2023, Rachel says she was forking out $220 every day -about £160 - to inhale eight two-litre tanks of the chemical compound. Shocking photos show her breathing in the gas straight from a tank, which she claims was easy to buy from nearby convenience stores. Her feet and right hand went numb during a bar shift in April 2024 so she visited the ER - but she was discharged after being told she had muscle spasms. She admits she bought another tank of laughing gas the same day but was encouraged by a friend to return to hospital two days later and come clean about her nitrous oxide use. Rachel was admitted to hospital right away and within just a few days she lost the ability to walk as her nerves "died" and her body "shut down'. Following months of occupational and physical therapy and B12 injections, Rachel, who is now a receptionist, was able to turn her life around. It has been more than a year since she last inhaled nitrous oxide and is sharing her story to warn others about its dangers. Rachel, from Chicago, Illinois, said: "I was first introduced to nitrous oxide in 2018 at an EDM show. "I was bartending in a bar right next to a venue and it was very big. "I was 21 at the time, The high lasted a really short time and it just made me feel out of it. "In 2022, I started working at the bar again and everyone had started to take nitrous oxide through these tanks. "A lot of people take it out of the balloons as a safety method so you don't get frostbite but I was just hitting it straight out the nozzle. "The biggest part for me is that the nitrous oxide was so accessible to me. "[In 2023], I was using about eight of the two-litre tanks a day so I think I averaged spending around $220 a day on them, sometimes more. 11 11 "[At a shift in April 2024], my hips felt really tight. People thought I was drunk and I seemed intoxicated as the nitrous oxide was poisoning my brain. "My feet and right hand were completely numb and it felt like my hips were broken and I could barely walk." In the US, possession of nitrous oxide is legal but the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has outlawed its distribution for purposes of human consumption. But in the UK, possessing laughing gas is now illegal - with repeat users facing up to two years in prison. After 10 days in hospital, Rachel was transferred to a rehabilitation centre where she spent a month undergoing occupational and physical therapy 30 hours a week for a month. During these sessions, she says she had to learn to walk and write again, as well as teach herself how to brush her teeth. Rachel was then discharged to her parents' house, where she spent the next five months in continual therapy and had to use a walker. Rachel said: "I lost the ability to function in the hospital. I couldn't hold my phone and I couldn't go to the bathroom and had to catheterise myself. Nitrous oxide - the facts NITROUS oxide - also known as laughing gas or hippy crack - was recently made a Class C due to the dangers associated with the drug. It can cause a range of health issues and in some cases can even be fatal. Some common side effects from inhaling the gas are dizziness, nausea, disorientation, loss of balance and weakness in legs, according to a study on its risks published to the National Library of Medicine. Nitrous oxide can impair memory and thinking, the research mentioned. Some users might also feel anxious or paranoid. According to the Alcohol and Drug Foundation (ADF), the gas from nitrous oxide bulbs is intensely cold, sometimes as low as minus 40 degrees Celsius. Inhaling directly from the canister or crackers - handheld devices used to 'crack' open canister - can cause frostbite on the nose, lips and throat, even the vocal cords. The icy chill of the gas canisters can also cause cold burns to the hands. Long term, heavy use of laughing gas can cause a lack of vitamin B12. Severe deficiency can lead to serious nerve damage, causing tingling and numbness in the fingers and toes. Lack of B12 can also cause damage to the spinal cord. In some cases, frequent and prolonged use of nitrous oxide has been linked to thromboembolic events - this means a blood clot has gotten stuck and caused an obstruction. The so-called laughing gas has also resulted in deaths. "All the nerves in my body that you don't think about [weren't working]. I couldn't go to the toilet on my own. "The nitrous that they're selling you is not cut with oxygen so it stops your body from producing B12 which is a vitamin which helps protect the myelination of your spine and nerves. "All of mine had died and my body was just shutting down. "My nerves were firing on and off as they were dying so it felt like muscle spasms. "For the first couple of days, I just watched my body lose all function. I then woke up the next day and couldn't walk." More than a year on, Rachel still has to take oral B12 medication and can't feel some of her toes. She plans to become a drugs support worker in future and is urging others to not inhale nitrous oxide as "the 30-second high is not worth it". Rachel said: "I now have a bunch of dead zones in my brain and these don't come back. It's like rat poison. "Since coming out [of hospital] I haven't touched nitrous oxide again and I wouldn't do now. "Just because something is sold in a store, doesn't mean it is safe to use. They will sell it to you until you can't pee on your own. "The end stage of this is you will end up in the hospital and it's just a [matter of] when this will happen to you and when you will wake up and not be able to feel anything." 11
