Nitrous oxide (recreational inhalation)
Toxins · Recreational inhalant / dissociative gas
High priority
What this is
FDA March 2025 MedWatch alert advises consumers not to inhale nitrous oxide products sold as culinary propellants, including flavored canisters. Regular inhalation can cause prolonged neurologic effects, including spinal cord or brain damage, even after stopping. Add as a toxin because recreational nitrous has become a consumer-channel exposure rather than a niche operating-room gas.
Mechanism
Recreational inhalation displaces oxygen acutely and oxidizes/inactivates vitamin B12 with repeated exposure, impairing myelin maintenance and causing neuropathy/myelopathy.
Dose & route
Avoid inhaling chargers, canisters, tanks, or flavored nitrous products; evaluate B12/neurologic symptoms after repeated use
Citations
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