Nitrous Oxide Facts

What is nitrous oxide?

Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a clear, colorless, oxidizing liquefied gas with a slightly sweet odor. The product is stable at room temperature. While classified by the U. S. Department of Transportation (DOT) as a nonflammable gas, nitrous oxide will support combustion and can detonate at temperatures in excess of 650 °C (1202 °F). Contact your supplier to obtain a nitrous oxide Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for information on the safe handling and security of this product.

What are the principal applications of nitrous oxide?

Nitrous oxide finds beneficial use in a number of legitimate applications such as:

• Medical/dental anesthesia and analgesia
• Food processing propellant
• Semiconductor manufacturing
• Analytical chemistry
• Chemical manufacturing
• Auto racing engine injection

Nitrous oxide is blended with oxygen when used in anesthesia applications. Pure nitrous oxide will cause asphyxiation, resulting ultimately in respiratory arrest. Nitrous oxide in auto racing applications is denatured to deter inhalation.

Nitrous oxide, used in food propellant applications, is typically supplied to commercial packagers of pressurized food dispensing containers.

Effects of nitrous oxide on the human body

Nitrous oxide’s painkilling and numbing qualities begin to take effect when the gas is inhaled at concentrations of 10 percent. At increasingly higher concentrations, a sense of well-being, or “high,” is experienced. A person experiencing a nitrous oxide high could:

• Have slurred speech
• Have difficulty in maintaining his or her balance or walking
• Be slow to respond to questions
• Be immune to any stimulus such as pain, loud noises, and speech
• Lapse into unconsciousness

Nitrous oxide that is inhaled over a long period of time can lead to a vitamin B12 deficiency. When the level of vitamin B12 in the body is reduced, the red blood cell count is lowered, anemia results, and nerves degenerate. A vitamin B12 deficiency causes a person to; have painful sensations in the arms or legs; have an unsteady walk or gait; become unbalanced and tend to fall over; feel or appear to be irritable; suffer intellectual deterioration.

What Are the Dangers?

Nitrous Oxide readily displaces air, causing asphyxiation. A person who is rendered unconscious by nitrous oxide is likely to stop breathing within a few seconds as a result of a depressed central nervous system–brain, brain stem, and spinal cord. Depression is caused by a combination of the effects of nitrous oxide and the lowered oxygen content that occurs as pure nitrous oxide displaces oxygen from the lungs with each succeeding inhalation of the gas; i.e., the person is asphyxiated.

Tragedy can occur very quickly. Long-term exposure (several minutes) is not necessary before death occurs. Sudden, prolonged exposure to high levels of nitrous oxide, or a series of inhalations (without breathing clean air between inhalations) can result in death. The length of this action can be measured in seconds. Since the narcotic effect of nitrous oxide is very brief (several seconds) abusers tend to follow this repetitive action pattern.

If a person remains conscious and stops breathing the nitrous oxide, recovery (full consciousness and alertness) can occur within minutes. A person who loses consciousness, however, and continues to inhale a pure gas is most likely to die. Death usually occurs when abusers, in their attempt to achieve a higher state of euphoria, breathe pure nitrous oxide in a confined space — in a small room, inside an automobile or other vehicle cab, or by placing their head inside a plastic bag.

If death does not occur, the person who suffers from these symptoms may recover from all of them. The debilitating process is reversible, although some persons have experienced permanent loss of balance.

Abuse of nitrous oxide as an inhalant is on the rise, as is evidenced by the increased media attention to the subject. Its abuse has grown significantly at concert venues and on college campuses.  Dealers will typically fill balloons with nitrous oxide and sell them. Police and other enforcement officials have found 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 nitrous oxide abuse focuses on its occurrence at concerts, nitrous oxide abuse for recreational purposes is equally prevalent among individuals and small groups in settings far removed from the concert hall.

Theft of cylinders has made nitrous oxide available to people who are seeking the euphoric qualities of the gas, but who are unaware of the hazards of abusing nitrous oxide. People typically steal the cylinders from distributors or legitimate users or falsely represent themselves as legitimate users.

Guidelines to prevent nitrous oxide theft

CGA recommends the following guidelines for nitrous oxide sales and security. These guidelines are intended to help implement principles of product stewardship and to identify sufficiently responsible control measures that will minimize the theft of nitrous oxide and deter its abuse.

These guidelines are established for the following groups:

— PRODUCERS —

Producers are anyone who produces nitrous oxide and then purifies, compresses, and liquefies this product for storage, shipment, and sale to a second party.

It is recommended that producers:

• Establish a written sales policy that identifies legitimate applications for nitrous oxide, that may include but is not limited to medical, industrial, and food-based uses;
• Restrict sale of nitrous oxide to those who can substantiate the legitimate use of nitrous oxide, as enumerated above;
• Establish a written policy that clearly defines conditions for cash sales of nitrous oxide (e.g., all cash sales must be accompanied by a driver’s license and a certified document that identifies the company or medical practice that will use the product);
• Provide customers with a current SDS and any additional instructions for proper use and safe handling practices;
• Provide this nitrous oxide fact sheet to customers;
• Alert employees and customers to the dangers of nitrous oxide abuse.
• Non-Bulk producers should keep an inventory of both full and empty cylinders and investigate any discrepancies.
• Bulk producers (having large non-portable storage containers) should have a policy to investigate any tampering or vandalism of their bulk storage container.

— COMMERCIAL CARRIERS —

Commercial carriers are anyone who transports for hire nitrous oxide by road, rail, sea, or air.

It is recommended that commercial carriers:

• Take appropriate steps to prevent the theft of nitrous oxide cylinders, both full and empty, since empty cylinders may contain residual product;
• Keep cylinders in a secure area when on company premises;
• Do not leave a delivery vehicle unattended without limiting access to nitrous oxide cylinders;
• Keep an inventory of both full and empty cylinders and investigate any discrepancies;
• Report any thefts promptly to the police and the shipper;
• Alert employees to the dangers of nitrous oxide abuse and train them on the special security measures they should take to prevent its theft.

— CONTAINER FILLERS OR DISTRIBUTORS —

Container fillers and distributors are anyone who transfers nitrous oxide from a bulk vessel to cylinders, and anyone who sells nitrous oxide to medical, industrial, food, and other legitimate users.

It is recommended that container fillers or distributors:

• Establish a written sales policy that identifies legitimate applications for nitrous oxide, that may include but is not limited to medical, industrial and food-based uses;
• Restrict sale of nitrous oxide to those who can substantiate the legitimate use of nitrous oxide, as enumerated above;
• Establish a written policy that clearly defines conditions for cash sales of nitrous oxide (e.g., all cash sales must be accompanied by a driver’s license and a certified document that identifies the company or medical practice that will use the product);
• Sell denatured (e.g., rendered unfit for human consumption) nitrous oxide for enhancing performance of internal combustion engines, so as to deter abuse;
• Screen existing nitrous oxide accounts to assure that all are legitimate users of nitrous oxide and for unexpected changes in ordering patterns, cylinder balances, or other indications of increased consumption beyond their normal order pattern;
• Provide customers with a current SDS and any additional instructions for proper use and safe handling practices;
• Provide this nitrous oxide fact sheet to customers;
• Take the following steps to prevent the theft of nitrous oxide cylinders, both full and empty, since empty cylinders may also contain residual product:
• Keep cylinders in a secure area when on company premises;
• Do not leave a delivery vehicle unattended without limiting access to nitrous oxide cylinders;
• Keep an inventory of both full and empty cylinders and investigate any discrepancies;
• Report any thefts promptly to the police and the supplier;
• Alert employees and customers to the dangers of nitrous oxide abuse and train them on the special security measures they should take to prevent its theft.

— LEGITIMATE USERS —

Legitimate users are anyone who can substantiate a medical, industrial, food, or other legitimate use for nitrous oxide.

It is recommended that legitimate users:

• Minimize theft and indiscriminate use of nitrous oxide by storing containers and utilization equipment in a secured area subject to removal by authorized personnel only;
• Keep an inventory of bulk product and or containers (both full and empty) and investigate any discrepancies;
• Report any thefts promptly to the police and the shipper;
• Use denatured (e.g., rendered unfit for human consumption) nitrous oxide, if required, for enhancing performance of internal combustion engines, so as to deter abuse;
• Alert employees to the dangers of nitrous oxide abuse and train them on the special security measures they should take to prevent its theft;
• Provide employees with a current SDS and any additional instructions for proper use and safe handling practices.

Contact your supplier to obtain a nitrous oxide Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for information on the safe handling and security of this product.