A French campaign group said on Wednesday it has sued companies selling nitrous oxide – also known as laughing gas – using what the activists alleged was “deceptive” marketing targeting young people, despite the health impacts.

The Antoine Alleno Association – a road safety group headed by Michelin-starred chef Yannick Alleno, whose son was killed in 2022 by a speeding driver – said it had filed the legal action against the companies behind Cream Deluxe, which markets colourful canisters of the gas as the “key to an unforgettable evening”.

The suit will allow the group to “go after” those “using deceptive forms of communication aimed at young people”, Alleno said

Nitrous oxide “has significant public-health impacts: young people lose the ability to move, there are burns and accidents”, Alleno said.

The substance was implicated in over 450 serious road accidents in France last year, a number that has multiplied by 40 in six years, according to French drivers’ advocacy group 40 Million Motorists.

In the case alleging dishonest trade practices before a Paris court, Alleno’s association is seeking a ban on the Chinese and Polish companies behind Cream Deluxe from operating in France, as well as legal costs.