Nitrous oxide, it’s no laughing matter

Nitrous oxide, it’s no laughing matter

Colin Duncan, Volunteer

Using litter as a surrogate marker, it has been interesting to observe changes in society that have occurred over the four year period that I’ve been volunteering with Chiltern Rangers.

Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, face masks never appeared amongst the tonnes of litter we collect each year from the woodlands and rivers Chiltern Rangers manage. On returning from lockdown, literally hundreds of face masks were collected and, as the disease has waned, so too has the number of facemask being recovered.

Another and perhaps the most prominent of these surrogate markers are nitrous oxide cartridges and the ‘recreational’ use of the gas to induce euphoria and hallucinations. Four years ago, we’d find just a few of the small, silver coloured cartridges. Three to four years ago, the number of these small cartridges discarded as litter increased dramatically. Now we are recovering large heavy weight canisters literally by the trolley load.

The UK has one of the highest uses of recreational nitrous oxide in the world. This dramatic rise in the so-called recreational use of nitrous oxide is a growing public health concern. Nitrous oxide is NOT a harmless gas. It is an anaesthetic. People who inhale the gas frequently or in high concentrations may experience dizziness and headache. Long term use results in vitamin B12

deficiency. This in turn can lead to irreversible nerve damage including degeneration of the spinal cord, resulting in loss of sensation in the fingers and toes and an inability to walk and speak properly.

If used medically as an anaesthetic, the supply of nitrous oxide would be strictly controlled. However, because the gas is used in the catering industry as a propellant in the production of whipped cream for example, it is not illegal to buy it but many companies are selling it knowing full well that it will not be used for catering purposes. The hope is that through tougher legislation and articles such as this the word will get round that nitrous oxide is NOT harmless and its use will decline.

I look forward to the time that nitrous oxide cartridges and cylinders become a thing of the past and never appear in the litter we collect again in the same way that face masks have.