Laughing gas, or nitrous oxide - popular in youth environment a substance that some consider a harmless recreational drug, while others consider it a dangerous drug. In high concentrations and prolonged inhalation, it can cause serious harm to human health.
What is nitrous oxide
Nitrogen dioxide, better known as laughing gas, was first produced by Joseph Priestley in the early 1770s.
The substance is colorless, has a subtle aroma and a sweetish taste, can dissolve in water, and under certain conditions, become liquid.
Not a large number of gas produces the effect of intoxication and slight drowsiness. If you inhale it pure form, then suffocation may develop, but if the prescribed dosage is observed and mixed with oxygen, it is used as anesthesia and does not have a side effect. Once in the body, it remains unchanged and does not form bonds with hemoglobin. As soon as the gas supply is stopped, it is completely eliminated through the respiratory tract within 15 minutes.
Use of the substance in various fields
There are three types of nitric oxide:
- Technical – used in automotive production and welding.
- Medical - widely used as anesthesia.
- Food – is one of important components in the production of aerated chocolate and confectionery products.
A technical nitrogen compound is introduced into the car engine mechanism, namely into the intake manifold to improve its performance. Under its influence, the engine power increases for some time.
IN medical purposes the substance is used for anesthesia and anesthesia during surgery and during childbirth. In addition, the use of gas is allowed to prevent shock in injuries, to increase the analgesic effect of other drugs, as well as to eliminate pain during a heart attack and pancreatitis. Nitrous oxide is available in liquid form in 10 liter cylinders.
In the food industry, this component is known as additive E-942. It is used as a propellant in products produced in aerosol containers.
Use of nitrous oxide as a drug
The abolition of the mandatory presentation of a prescription for the purchase of combination medications that contain codeine occurred in Russia in June 2012. Since that time, the drug has been freely available, so it is actively used by substance abusers.
The use of nitrous oxide balls quickly leads to drug euphoria, so the substance received so wide use among young people and it became integral part many parties and nightlife venues.
Why is gas called "laughing"?
When exposed to the human body, nitrogen dioxide causes strong feeling excitement, turning into euphoria, which is why it was called “laughing gas”. The authorship of the name belongs to the Englishman Davy Humphrey, who studied chemical reactions and, during an experiment, personally experienced the effect of gas on the body.
He found that when inhaled in a small dose, a person’s motor activity increases, an unreasonable desire to laugh arises, and behavior becomes inappropriate.
The effect of gas on the human body - is it possible to breathe nitric oxide
Nitrous oxide causes virtually no harm to health when used for medical purposes if the recommended dosage regimen is followed. Narcotic gas used in a concentration of less than 80% does not pose a danger to humans.
If the substance is used during childbirth, then it is necessary to reduce the period of its inhalation by the woman to a minimum, since long-term use in this case, it can harm the newborn and reduce its Apgar scores.
Proven Negative influence of this compound on the bone marrow with prolonged exposure. If you breathe it for 2-4 days, then inhibition of the functions of bone marrow tissue is observed.
Nitric oxide also sometimes causes some side effects, which are expressed in the appearance of symptoms of bradycardia or supraventricular arrhythmia when the patient is placed in a state of anesthesia. When a person recovers from anesthesia, symptoms such as nausea, anxiety, confusion, drowsiness, and even hallucinations may occur.
Symptoms of laughing gas poisoning
Signs toxic effect Nitrous oxide on the human body is divided into two types. The first includes manifestations that occur with short-term use of laughing gas:
- Brief amnesia. A person does not remember what happened to him for some time, but then his memory returns.
- Reasonless laughter. One of the main parameters indicating poisoning with nitric oxide is unreasonable fun, very strong and incessant laughter.
- Attacks of headaches and dizziness that come and go suddenly.
- Multiple episodes of loss of consciousness.
Frequent and long-term use gas can lead to more serious poisoning, in this case the following are possible:
- emotional instability, which is expressed in permanent shift mood;
- violation mental activity, lack of logic in words and actions;
- unsteady gait and incoherent speech;
- hearing loss, visual impairment;
- atrophy of brain structures.
First aid and treatment for intoxication
There is no specific antidote for nitrous oxide, so all that a person who is nearby at the time of poisoning can do is carry out basic first aid measures:
- Provide access fresh air into the room. If possible, it is better to move the victim from the building to the street.
- Position the person so that his body is completely at rest.
- Remove the poisoned person’s outer clothing and create conditions for free flow of air into the respiratory tract.
Further action can only be taken by an ambulance team, which must be called immediately as soon as it becomes known about intoxication. Doctors transport the victim to the hospital and take emergency measures for his salvation.
Consequences of drug use
When using the mixture to feel narcotic effect, a person exposes himself to great danger. The components included in its composition, with prolonged exposure, can lead to the death of brain cells. The consequences of consuming this nitrogenous compound can be very severe: first, memory deteriorates, then progressive personality changes occur. Along with the brain, the bone marrow structure is also destroyed. With constant use of nitrous oxide, there is a risk of developing leukemia and disorders of the hematopoietic process.
In addition, people who abuse this substance experience mental disorders. Attacks of fear of death, hallucinations, intrusive thoughts, periodic sensations of approaching danger. Suicidal tendencies may appear due to depressive state, provoked by this connection. Among the consequences of drinking laughing gas, impaired coordination of movements often occurs.
Most big threat represents the mixture in its pure form. Inhaling it can be fatal.
The effect of this compound is especially detrimental to the developing fetus in the womb. If she breathes nitrogen, this can lead to fetal hypoxia and the development of various congenital anomalies in the child.
Nitrous hemicoxide, nitrogen oxynitride, nitrous oxide or simply laughing gas. A substance that has neither color nor odor. Another dubious way to artificially lift your mood. After the sale of codeine-containing drugs without a prescription was strictly prohibited, there was a surge of interest among young people in inhaling this dangerous mixture. The most alarming thing about this situation is that nitrous oxide, like alcohol, is not officially considered a drug. Therefore, you can trade it absolutely freely without fear of criminal prosecution. At the same time, sellers dangerous gas they assure potential clients that nitrous oxide can improve brain function, elevate mood and relieve stress. Is it really?
Scientists have discovered that inhaling the mixture leads to a certain period of intoxication in the body, which in its effect resembles intoxication. It was also found that the resulting euphoria gives rise to bouts of uncontrollable laughter. Because of this fact, the new substance was named laughing gas.
Laughing gas: benefit or harm?
Chronic sore throat, resulting from systematic inhalation of this mixture, is the least of the evils that a person eager to have fun risks getting. Despite the fact that when inhaling nitrous oxide, a state of euphoria is quickly achieved, in which the mood improves, the feeling of anxiety goes away, and the analgesic effect is significantly manifested (in medicine, this gas is used as anesthesia), this mixture can also cause irreversible changes in the brain person.
When used non-medically, the volatile compounds contained in its composition, dissolving in the protective fatty tissue of the brain, together with euphoria, cause the death of neurons, which leads to the destruction of this protective layer. As a result, the patient receives memory impairment, uncontrollable tremors of the limbs, and gradual personality disintegration.
The immune system, bone marrow (up to the development of leukemia), the nervous system (peripheral neuropathy develops), and the hematopoietic system (impaired hematopoiesis and megaloblastic anemia) are also affected. Like any narcotic substance, nitrous oxide is not bypassed and mental sphere human body. Attacks of mortal fear appear, and a feeling of permanent danger develops. Anxiety alternates with states of deepest depression, against a background of suicidal ideas. All this is aggravated by terrible obsessive fantasies and possible hallucinations.
Even a small volume of this gas reduces visual and hearing acuity, leads to confusion, and impairs the functioning of muscle tissue. Coordination of movements is impaired, which can provoke frequent accidents. In small quantities, a mixture of nitrous oxide causes irritation of the bronchopulmonary system. Large concentrations of it lead to pulmonary edema. Particularly lethal use pure mixture, not diluted with oxygen. This form, even if used once, can be fatal.
Signs of nitrogen poisoning
Signs of poisoning from inhaling nitrous oxide can be divided into two groups. The first group includes those that appear with short-term use of laughing gas.
These include:
- Short-term memory loss (amnesia);
- Uncontrollable laughter for no reason;
- Attacks of dizziness;
- Headaches that are permanent and paroxysmal in nature;
- Frequent fainting;
With longer periods of nitrous oxide use, the above symptoms are added to:
- Emotional lability;
- Violation of thinking processes;
- Unsteady gait and unintelligible speech;
- Short-term memory lapses;
- Deterioration of vision and hearing;
- Progressive brain atrophy;
First aid for poisoning nitrogen compounds consists of the following actions:
- It is necessary to move the victim to the open air;
- Place the patient in such a way as to ensure maximum rest for the body;
- Clear the airways of the poisoned person, ensuring unimpeded access of oxygen to the body;
After this, it is necessary to call a specialized team, which will take the patient to the hospital, where he will be provided with further necessary treatment.
The new anti-drug unit of the Ministry of Internal Affairs - the Main Directorate for Drug Control (GUNK) - has become concerned with the problem of laughing gas, which is so beloved by young people. Cylinders and air balloons Gas is sold by both online stores and numerous private dealers at parties, near clubs and on the streets. Young people get high from laughing gas, and sometimes get poisoned. Now the Ministry of Internal Affairs is going to open criminal cases for selling N 2 O gas without permission. The police have already asked the Ministry of Health to have its experts determine the dose of nitrous oxide sufficient to initiate a criminal case.
Old problem with new parts
On Sparrow Hills, right opposite the country's main university, stands a silver, pretty shabby Nissan. A whole brood of colorful balloons is tied to the open trunk. Nearby is a gas cylinder with which the balls are inflated. Everyone understands what kind of car it is: from time to time, groups of young people approach the car and buy two or three balloons. Balloons are not for beauty at all. They are only interested in the contents - nitrous oxide, laughing gas, which they are going to inhale. There is no danger for the seller - formally, trading in nitrous oxide is not prohibited.
Laughing gas has been gaining popularity in the capital's - and not only - youth gatherings since 2012. Back then, in clubs, at parties and in other places where young people gathered, one could find suspiciously cheerful groups with inflatable balloons in their hands. The young people from time to time kissed the balls, inhaled gas from them, and laughed loudly.
Sometimes there was no time for fun - poisoning happened. At one time, the State Drug Control Service was going to punish sellers of laughing gas under the criminal code, but this initiative died quietly. Now the legal successor of the State Drug Control Service - the Ministry of Internal Affairs - has decided to revive this idea. According to sources, immediate cause became the number of consumers of this gas, which has not decreased much over 4 years.
IN different regions countries, cases of active distribution and consumption of this gas have been recorded, which had serious consequences for the health of citizens,” a source in the Ministry of Internal Affairs told Life. - Criminal cases have been initiated against nitrogen distributors, and the courts have already handed down a number of convictions.
Therefore, the Ministry of Internal Affairs is going to add laughing gas to the list of potent and toxic substances. And also bring its turnover under the already existing criminal article 234 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“Illegal trafficking of potent or toxic substances for sales purposes”). It now provides for a penalty of up to eight years if anyone decides to illegally manufacture, buy, sell or transport any potent and toxic substances, which are not drugs. Now it is planned to include laughing gas and xenon in the list of these substances.
So far, the police have no reason to punish for the distribution of this gas. It is not recognized as a drug by law, which means it does not fall under the jurisdiction of the drug police. Therefore, they fight as best they can.
We can only hold sellers of laughing gas administratively liable for illegal trade, since they usually sell balloons without being registered as entrepreneurs,” one of the police officers in the Tambov region, where this hobby has also spread, told Life.
Fun concentration
To make changes to the Criminal Code, you must first assess what dose of gas can be dangerous if inhaled. For this purpose, the deputy head of the Main Directorate of Medical Sciences, Sergei Sotnikov, sent a corresponding request to the Director of the Department of Drug Supply of the Ministry of Health, Elena Maksimkina.
Sotnikov asks Maksimkina to estimate the gas concentration that produces the analgesic (pain-relieving) effect. Based on this concentration, the police are going to determine the minimum dose, starting from which the gas will be prohibited from free circulation. That is, if, for example, a person gets a high from 5 grams, then, starting from this volume, it will no longer be possible to simply buy it.
In the same request, Sotnikov mentions another gas that gives you a buzz - xenon. He also asks to estimate how likely it is that xenon will be used as a soft drug, so that if something happens, xenon will be included in the article.
Considering the anesthetic effect, analgesic and anti-stress effects of xenon, I ask you to express your opinion on whether it can be used for an intoxicating effect,” adds Sotnikov.
Xenon, it should be noted, is already on the list of intoxicating substances. It has only 12 positions. In addition to xenon, this includes diphenhydramine, barbiturates, chloroform, antipsychotics and clonidine. These are not drugs, but potent substances that can influence human behavior.
With this list, they say in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, there is only one a big problem- no one knows what to do with him. The list of intoxicating substances was compiled by members of the Standing Committee on Narcotics Control ( PKKN ) about 15 years ago, but the PKKN collapsed, and since then the document has actually lived its own life, like a restless one. One of the few uses of this list is in sentencing in criminal cases. The use of substances from this list is taken into account as an aggravating circumstance if a person, while under their influence, commits a crime.
However, the list does not have a specific legal status, and in the Ministry of Health no one is responsible for filling it and assessing the degree of exposure to the substances that are included there,” the source complains.
Therefore, the Ministry of Internal Affairs also asks the Ministry of Health to explain what to do with this list and how else it can be legally applied.
Who turned on the gas?
To understand where the main supplies of laughing gas come from, operatives searched the Internet for a long time and carefully for online stores that sell nitrous oxide. They were not interested in nitro cylinders, which are used for tuning cars, but in either food cylinders or cylinders for inflating balloons.
Today, laughing gas is sold at retail in cans of 8 grams or large cylinders of 3.5 and 10 liters, and is also sometimes pumped into ordinary balloons, which are sold individually, a source in the Ministry of Internal Affairs shared with Life.
Often, they write in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, gas is supplied through Chinese online stores. They release gas in small portions, 8 grams per can. Devices for inhalation and opening of canisters - the so-called N 2 O Cracker - are already attached to such parcels in Russia. In slang they are called "openers".
But it wouldn’t be so bad if gas came only from abroad. Unfortunately, thrill seekers are actively purchasing huge domestic cylinders for the entire honest company, which are produced at the Cherepovets MedGazService plant. Investigators do not rule out that this became possible due to poor control at the plant itself.
The trends of the last two years show that larger cylinders with nitrous oxide have become very popular - from 3.5 to 10 liters costing from 2 to 11 thousand rubles. They are positioned as a means for " Have a good mood"and parties," the source said. "Before lately The origin of such cylinders could not be established, but many sellers on their websites name the gas manufacturer as a plant in Vologda region"MedGasService" True, they only present copies of certificates, which are easy to forge.
As the police write, this is the only N 2 O production plant in Russia. They were greatly concerned that nitrogen from this plant was being sold freely on the Internet. Therefore, in their letter to the Ministry of Health, they demanded to pay attention to this plant and monitor its activities.
In particular, the police requested the results of all inspections carried out at the enterprise in 2013–2016. According to Life, over the years the plant was inspected only nine times by auditors from Rospotrebnadzor, Rostransnadzor, Roszdravnadzor and the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate. There was only one violation, and it was not related to production process, but with infringement labor rights disabled employee.
The head office of MedGazService is located in Cherepovets. The plant positions itself as a manufacturer of gases for technical and medical purposes. Products - cylinders with carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide or oxygen. At the plant itself, Life was not given a comment, citing the fact that the management was not at work.
The police did not stop at studying the “jambs” of one plant and asked the Ministry of Health to talk in general about the measures that the department is taking to prevent the misuse of gas. They also requested regulatory documents that indicate the country’s rules for the sale and transportation of this volatile substance.
There is no agreement among experts
According to the chief toxicologist of the Ministry of Health, director of the Scientific and Practical Toxicology Center of the FMBA, Yuri Nikolaevich Ostapenko, it is necessary to limit the circulation of laughing gas, because this gas causes too serious consequences.
It is necessary to limit the free circulation of nitrous oxide, or so-called laughing gas. This substance is not for general use. This itself is an industrial gas that is used by doctors for anesthesia, both in anesthesiology and in emergency medicine. But not at all so that it can be bought and inhaled anywhere, on every corner. In addition, its uncontrolled use can lead to asphyxia (suffocation) and death. After all, people breathe it like: from some bags, from some balloons. This can cause you to lose consciousness and suffocate. And if it is used in medical conditions, then necessarily in a mixture with oxygen. There its concentration is calculated so that hypoxia does not occur. And the most unpleasant thing is that it is addictive, like a drug. There were cases, even before the craze for nitrous oxide, when some doctors, having tried it as laughing gas, later became addicted and developed an addiction,” Yuri Ostapenko told Life.
Concerning possible consequences for the body, here, says Ostapenko, everything is very individual. If you inhale the gas once, there will, of course, be no serious consequences. But if a person is addicted to the gas and inhales it too often, brain cells will suffer or hypoxia will occur, that is, a decrease in oxygen in the blood. Degenerative changes can also occur in the lungs. In general, according to Ostapenko, under certain conditions, a passion for laughing gas can even develop into an addiction to other, more difficult drugs.
But the narcologist believes, on the contrary, that especially strong addiction does not arise from N 2 O.
I don't see it yet big problem, in my opinion, this is all greatly exaggerated. I didn't have such patients. “I have never seen dependence on nitrous oxide,” Alexey Egorov, a professor at the Department of Psychiatry and Narcology at St. Petersburg State University, told Life. - Yes, and there are no special consequences for the body. Nitrous oxide can be addictive, but the same as with any volatile inhalants. By this logic, everything can be prohibited. I don’t know to what extent the restrictions should extend in this case. Let's ban lighters then, because they also contain gas that can also be snorted. Let's ban gas stoves.
The sad consequences of funny gas
While those in power decide what to do with laughing gas, it causes mostly sad consequences. For example, in 2015, seven cars crashed at the intersection of Nakhimovsky Prospect and Simferopol Boulevard. The reason was Mercedes, which rammed six foreign cars at a traffic light. A group of five young people fell out of a Mercedes car. For some reason they took a gas cylinder out of the trunk and tried to put it in the trunk of one of the mangled cars. According to eyewitnesses, the young people were under laughing gas. Then it turned out that four people were injured in the accident, one died.
And in 2012 that three teenagers from the Tambov region inhaled N 2 O, after which they ended up in a mental hospital with depression, hallucinations and attacks of unmotivated aggression.
Back in 2012 in Federal service Drug Control Service (FSKN) actively advocated for a ban on laughing gas. Drug control operatives then even massive raids on gas traders who stood right in the center of Moscow, on Bolotnaya Embankment.
However, a year later, the department's position changed dramatically.
We looked at this problem: users of laughing gas make up one thousandth of one percent of all drug users. This does not form any systemic problem, - said the director of the Federal Drug Control Service Viktor Ivanov to journalists in Moscow in December 2013.
Nitrous oxide is produced by heating dry ammonium nitrate. Decomposition begins at 170 degrees Celsius and is accompanied by the release of heat. Therefore, in order to prevent it from proceeding too violently, heating should be stopped in time; at temperatures above 300 °C it decomposes explosively:
NH 4 NO 3 → N 2 O + 2H 2 O.
A more convenient way is to heat sulfamic acid with 73% nitric acid:
NH 2 SO 2 OH + HNO 3 (73%) → N 2 O + SO 2 (OH) 2 + H 2 O.
You can also take concentrated HNO 3 and ammonia, mix and heat.
Physical properties
Chemical properties
Application
It is used mainly as a means for inhalation anesthesia, mainly in combination with other drugs (due to the insufficiently strong analgesic effect). At the same time, this compound can be called the safest anesthesia, since there are almost no complications after its use. Also sometimes used to improve technical characteristics engines internal combustion.
Means for inhalation anesthesia
Small concentrations of nitrous oxide cause a feeling of intoxication (hence the name “laughing gas”) and slight drowsiness. When inhaling pure gas, a condition quickly develops. drug intoxication and then asphyxia. When mixed with oxygen, when dosed correctly, it causes anesthesia without prior stimulation and side effects. Nitrous oxide has weak narcotic activity, and therefore it must be used in high concentrations. In most cases, combined anesthesia is used, in which nitrous oxide is combined with other, more powerful anesthetics, as well as muscle relaxants.
Nitrous oxide does not cause respiratory irritation. Being dissolved in the blood plasma during inhalation, it practically does not change and is not metabolized, and does not bind to hemoglobin. After inhalation ceases, it is excreted (within 10-15 minutes) through the respiratory tract unchanged.
Anesthesia using nitrous oxide is used in surgical practice, operative gynecology, surgical dentistry, and also for pain relief during childbirth. “Therapeutic analgesic anesthesia” (B.V. Petrovsky, S.N. Efuni) using a mixture of nitrous oxide and oxygen is sometimes used in the postoperative period to prevent traumatic shock, as well as to relieve pain attacks in acute coronary insufficiency, myocardial infarction, acute pancreatitis and other pathological conditions accompanied by pain that cannot be relieved by conventional means.
Nitrous oxide is used mixed with oxygen using special devices for gas anesthesia. Usually they start with a mixture containing 70-80% nitrous oxide and 30-20% oxygen, then the amount of oxygen is increased to 40-50%. If it is not possible to obtain the required depth of anesthesia, with a nitrous oxide concentration of 70-75%, more powerful narcotics are added: fluorothane, ether, barbiturates.
To more completely relax the muscles, muscle relaxants are used, which not only enhances muscle relaxation, but also improves the course of anesthesia.
After stopping the supply of nitrous oxide, oxygen should be continued for 4-5 minutes to avoid hypoxia.
Nitrous oxide, like any anesthesia, must be used with caution, especially in cases of severe hypoxia and impaired diffusion of gases in the lungs.
To relieve labor pain, they use the method of intermittent autoanalgesia using, using special anesthesia machines, a mixture of nitrous oxide (40-75%) and oxygen. The woman in labor begins to inhale the mixture when signs of contraction appear and ends inhalation at the height of the contraction or at its end.
To reduce emotional arousal, prevent nausea and vomiting and potentiate the effect of nitrous oxide, premedication with intramuscular injection of a 0.5% solution of diazepam (seduxen, sibazon) in an amount of 1-2 ml (5-10 mg), 2-3 ml 0. 25% solution of droperidol (5.0-7.5 mg).
Therapeutic anesthesia with nitrous oxide (for angina pectoris and myocardial infarction) is contraindicated in serious illnesses nervous system, chronic alcoholism, condition alcohol intoxication(excitement, hallucinations are possible).
Release form: in metal cylinders with a capacity of 10 liters under a pressure of 50 atm in a liquefied state. The cylinders are painted grey colour and are labeled “For medical use.”
In internal combustion engines
Nitrous oxide is sometimes used to improve the performance of internal combustion engines. In automotive applications, a substance containing nitrous oxide and fuel are injected into the intake manifold of the engine, resulting in the following results:
- reduces the temperature of the air sucked into the engine, ensuring a dense incoming charge of the mixture.
- increases the oxygen content in the incoming charge (air contains only ~21 wt.% oxygen).
- increases the speed (intensity) of combustion in the engine cylinders.
In the food industry
IN Food Industry the compound is registered as a food additive E942, as propellant and packaging gas.
Storage
Storage: at room temperature indoors, away from fire.
Links
- NITRIC OXIDE AND THE FATE OF HUMAN // “Science and Life”, No. 7, 2001 (Retrieved May 20, 2009)
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
- Funny texts (psycholinguistics)
- Fun in Acapulco
See what “laughing gas” is in other dictionaries:
LAUGHING GAS- LAUGHING GAS, a name denoting either nitrous oxide in pure form or a mixture of the latter with air, resp. from 02. Nitrous oxide, Nitrogenium oxydulatum N20; molecular weight 44, sp. V. 1.524 (air 1); colorless gas, faint pleasant odor and... ... Great Medical Encyclopedia
LAUGHING GAS- LAUGHING GAS, see NITRON OXIDE... Scientific and technical encyclopedic dictionary
Laughing gas- FUN, lyu, only; nesov., whom what. Cause fun, joy. B. the public. The song makes the soul happy. Dictionary Ozhegova. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 … Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary
Laughing gas (also known as dinitrogen oxide or nitrous oxide) was discovered in mid-18th century century by US physicist Joseph Priestley. Laughing gas is a volatile compound with a slightly sweet taste and delicate aroma. It has found application in various areas industry (automotive, medical, food).
But, due to the fact that laughing gas nitrous oxide differs from its “gas” counterparts in specific properties, its use is quite original. Often harmless children's balloons are inflated with this gas and sold under the guise of beautiful accessories for holidays. Balls with nitrous oxide certain personalities are very popular.
Laughing gas poses a threat to human health
Dianitrogen oxide is produced by exposing copper to weakly concentrated sulfuric acid. Then moistened iron is included in the recovery process. By chemical reaction and the original substance appears with chemical formula: N2O.
How does laughing gas work?
The compound received the name “cheerful” because of its special effect on the body. It provokes the appearance of intoxication and invigorating euphoria. Nitrous oxide is traditionally used in industrial and medical fields. It is used in:
- cosmetic field for the manufacture of perfumes;
- technical production as one of the components for combustible fuel;
- food industry in the production of whipped cream, creams, pastilles for cakes;
- as anesthesia (during major surgical interventions, there is always a cylinder of laughing gas at the patient’s head).
Properties of an unusual substance
To understand what laughing gas is, it is worth learning better about its properties, which, by the way, are far from “laughing” in nature. Namely:
At minimum dosage. Getting into the body even in minimum quantity, gas affects the body negative impact. The human brain suffers, causing a sensation similar to mild intoxication. A person, having inhaled a little dinitrogen oxide, feels a surge of cheerfulness and fun.
What threat does nitrous oxide pose?
In some cases, even short-term use of laughing gas can cause loss of consciousness, headache and severe dizziness.
With prolonged use. When nitrous oxide is used regularly, the harm of laughing gas increases. The original “optimistic” effect appears in reverse. A person has:
- drowsiness;
- hearing impairment;
- unsteadiness of gait;
- short-term amnesia;
- violation of speech functions;
- difficulty in thinking processes.
Consequences of "gas pollution"
According to many ignorant people who think that laughing gas is a substance that simply changes the voice, making it funny and amusing. They don't even imagine the consequences of frivolous fun. And they get hooked on the joyful excitement, while risking facing more than sad consequences:
- Megaloblastic anemia.
- Serious hearing problems.
- Degradative destruction of the spinal cord.
- Decreased tone and dystrophy of muscle tissue.
- Rapid deterioration of vision, up to its complete loss.
All these consequences are irreversible. Moreover, death from laughing gas can also come to a person. Death possible even with short-term and small inhalation.
The Hidden Threat of "Fun"
Nitrous oxide is very addictive (4-5 doses are enough). This chemical compound provides psychotropic influence on the central nervous system, causing addiction. As it develops, a person experiences the following symptoms:
- feelings of anxiety and fear;
- regular headaches;
- constant dizziness.
A drug addict without receiving the usual dose of laughing gas is unable to produce habitual actions, can't even answer primitive questions. Increasing degradation of brain cells provokes deterioration general condition, occurring against the background of frequent loss of consciousness.
What are the consequences of long-term use of laughing gas?
A person’s appearance also changes: the skin takes on an earthy tint, the eyes become dull, and the drug addict is haunted by an unpleasant odor from the skin and from the mouth. Another danger awaits those addicted to nitrous oxide: long-term use gas has a destructive effect on the central nervous system. The result is:
Hypoxia. The body, constantly experiencing a lack of oxygen, provokes the appearance of persistent hallucinations in a person. The ability to understand and distinguish colors and smells changes. Destroyed taste buds. Reality becomes completely different, a person begins to develop persecution mania.
Blood composition. A persistent fan of breathing nitrous oxide changes the composition of the blood. There is a persistent drop in leukocyte levels and the development of anemia. This leads to severe weakening immune system and frequent infectious diseases. The illnesses are long-lasting and difficult to treat, becoming chronic.
Why "fun"
This name was given to the gas compound by the British chemist Davy. He experienced the effects of nitrous oxide for the first time. After feeling a slight but pleasant intoxication and motor activity a person experiences inexplicable and uncontrollable laughter. This effect is short-lived and ends after 10-15 minutes.
Is laughing gas prohibited or not?
Nitrous oxide can be obtained quite legally. It is not prohibited and is freely sold in specialized stores or online stores. This freedom makes it easy for drug addicts to get their next dose of a dangerous substance..
Nitrous oxide can be seen commercially in two forms. Laughing gas is a form of food grade nitrous oxide. A technical forms It is strictly forbidden to inhale the compounds.
Initially, nitrous oxide was used in its pure (technical) form without the inclusion of oxygen. If you start breathing such gas, then after a couple of minutes a person develops anoxia ( oxygen starvation), leading to death.
What to do
Proper use of laughing gas does not lead to dire consequences. It comes out quickly enough internal organs and fabrics naturally without causing much trouble. Unfortunately, experts have not yet fully studied the harm caused by nitrous oxide. Therefore, laughing gas is freely available.
Symptoms of laughing gas poisoning
What's more, it's advertised as a fun party accessory. This gas is purchased in cylinders and sprayed into the surrounding air. This “trick” poses a serious threat to people having fun, because after the first tasting it will be difficult to refuse the next one.
Inhalation of laughing gas gave impetus to the emergence of a new direction of substance abuse. Nitrous oxide poses a serious danger to humans, so it should not be used thoughtlessly.
Modern experts confidently say that nitrous oxide should be completely banned from free sale and this compound should be classified as psychotropic narcotic substances. But for now it is completely available for sale and the only thing you can rely on is common sense and human reason. Don't risk your health!