Nitrous oxide (better known as “laughing gas”) is widely used in medicine as a safe anaesthetic and pain reliever. It’s also found in whipped cream canisters and even used in car engines. But Angela Chiew, toxicologist and Associate Professor at UNSW, joins me to set the record straight: the growing recreational misuse of this easily accessible gas is causing serious long-term harm, including nerve damage, cognitive damage, weakening of the spinal cord and mobility impairments. 

Cases of misuse are rising globally, likely driven by how easy it is to legally purchase the drug in many countries. This episode unpacks the hidden dangers behind a gas many once thought was just a harmless high.

Linkedin: Angela Chiew
X: AngelaChiewA