Feb 28, 2026
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
