What the CGA and GAWDA Are Doing About It

Contacts:

Carl T. Johnson                          Richard Schweitzer
Compressed Gas Association     Gases and Welding Distributors Association
(703) 788-2700                         (202) 973-7925

The Problem

Recreational abuse of nitrous oxide (N₂O) as an inhalant is on the rise, as is evidenced by the increased media attention to the subject. The use of N₂O and associated abuse have grown significantly at concert venues and on college campuses driven largely by illicit commercial activity. Illicit use has increased because those "dealing" N₂O have undertaken more sophisticated procurement techniques (such as stealing cylinders of the gas from legitimate users), therefore making the gas cheap to obtain.

Dealers and their "attaches" will typically fill balloons with N₂O and sell them for $3 to $5 each. While the use of N₂O as a recreational drug has increased, prices have dropped slightly because of the more sophisticated procurement techniques as well as new "sellers" entering the market. Nevertheless, dealers can earn between $10,000 and $30,000 per a large cylinder of the gas.

Police and other enforcement officials have found clusters of over 100 empty and/or discarded cylinders at the end of concerts. In some cases, dealers have removed required labels that identify cylinder contents and that provide information about safe use.

While most of the publicity regarding N₂O abuse focuses on its occurrence at concerts, N₂O abuse for recreational purposes is equally prevalent among individuals and small groups in settings far removed from the concert hall.

Why Is It Dangerous?

Nitrous Oxide readily displaces air, causing asphyxiation, in closed environments. As the concentration approaches 100 percent, the user achieves a brief sense of euphoria or "high." Just one N₂O filled balloon can generate this "high." This feeling is associated with slurred speech, unbalanced walking, blunted thinking and response to stimulus, and ultimately, loss of consciousness. Within seconds, an individual can stop breathing because of the depression of the central nervous system caused by the N₂O, and by the lower oxygen content that occurs as pure N₂O displaces oxygen in the user's lungs. Reported fatalities in the United States associated with N₂O abuse over the last two years are 11 in 1993 and 15 in 1994.¹

There has been a growing number of reported incidents concerning people who inhale N₂O from balloons while driving. A person who achieves this "high" while driving will undoubtedly subject his/her passengers and unsuspecting passersby at unnecessary risk.

What is the CGA/GAWDA Doing About It?

The Compressed Gas Association, Inc. (CGA) and Gases and Welding Distributors Association (GAWDA) have identified initiatives to address the N₂O abuse issue on three fronts:

· Both organizations are working closely with member companies who represent producers, fillers, and distributors of N₂O. In addition to implementing control procedures, the two organizations are:
- taking steps to further tighten distribution;
- developing codes of ethics to be signed voluntarily by all legal distributors and users of N₂O; and
- providing assistance to member companies by working with local enforcement agencies to identify "unclaimed" cylinders and providing other assistance to help suppress illicit distribution and use of N₂O.

· On the legislative and regulatory front, the CGA and GAWDA are helping to develop state-level model legislation to discourage illegitimate use of the product while not hampering the beneficial applications of N₂O in medicine and industry. For example, the organizations are working closely with local officials and enforcement agents to suggest appropriate legislative and regulatory guidelines. In Maryland, the CGA and GAWDA worked with the State Police to draft new legislation to deter the illicit use of N₂O, and make such use punishable by law. In addition, the two organizations are examining ways to leverage Department of Transportation (DOT) Hazardous Materials regulations to assist enforcement officials and to prevent illicit commercial activity at rock concerts and other events.

· The CGA and GAWDA also plan to work closely with associations representing legitimate end-users of N₂O to ensure more secure product storage and responsible use. Such organizations represent the interest of dentists, anesthesiologists, hospitals, racing car teams, and semiconductor manufacturers.

The CGA is establishing a toll-free information resource with fax-on-demand capabilities to provide interested parties with information about N₂O abuse, safe use, storage, and related data on a timely basis.

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¹ Number based on reports picked up by news clipping services in the United States