Nitrous Oxide Products

FDA advises consumers not to inhale nitrous oxide products from any size canisters, tanks, or chargers.

 Food and Drug Administration

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WAND) - The recreational misuse of nitrous oxide, or "laughing gas," is nothing to joke about.

A new study co-authored by University of Illinois Health & Kinesiology professor Rachel Hoopsick saw a sharp uptick in deaths linked to the drug.

The U of I said in an Aug. 12 Facebook post that the study saw a nearly 600% increase in deaths between 2010 and 2023, with 74% of those deaths having occurred within the last seven years. 

According to the CDC, nitrous oxide products may be sold under the following names, including Baking Bad, Goo Sticks, Monster Gas, Galaxy Gas and Cloud 9ine. 

Nitrous oxide largely remains unregulated, and just one inhalation can be fatal. 

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