(WWJ) — Concerns are growing over the misuse of nitrous oxide — also known as “laughing gas — in Michigan.
A news study from the Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit found that emergency room visits related to N₂O jumped by 132% in Michigan from 2022 to 2023.
Metro Detroit — particularly Wayne, Oakland and Macomb Counties — was the most impacted area, according to the study.
Nitrous oxide is a commonly used product in the medical and food industries, most typically in whipped cream canisters and other similar products.
While those products are labeled for food purposes only, those warnings often go unheeded, as many people use nitrous oxide recreationally to get a “euphoric high.”
There are serious health risks that go with use, including paralysis and nerve, brain and spinal cord damage.
As many local hospitals have seen a surge in ER visits related to nitrous oxide, Dr. Brandtley Yakey at Henry Ford Health told WDIV in Detroit the effects can be devastating.
“We’ve seen otherwise young, healthy patients come in with pretty devastating effects, such as stroke, heart attack, blood clots in their legs and lungs that we believe are related to nitrous oxide use,” Yakey told the outlet.
With the rise in misuse, medical experts are calling for stricter regulations on nitrous oxide to make it more difficult to get for those who use it recreationally.
The New York Times reported in 2024 on Galaxy Gas, a Georgia-based vendor that sells canisters, contributing to the alarming trend of nitrous oxide misuse.