Nitrous oxide surge in Australia raises death risk
Nitrous oxide surge in Australia is driving misuse, nerve injuries and deaths, as families and doctors push for tighter rules.
SYDNEY — Nitrous oxide surge in Australia raises death risk as the gas reaches more buyers through shops and home delivery, while doctors warn the harm is getting harder to ignore. Known as nangs or laughing gas, it still has legitimate uses, but it is also feeding a growing recreational market.
The warning gained urgency after Brisbane fruit shop owner Daniel, 36, died in February, leaving behind handwritten notes and materials in his bedroom. His mother, Tessa Jones, said he had paid off his business loan, planned a holiday and was finally enjoying the life he had worked for. Then she found him dead.
Daniel’s death certificate listed the cause as “plastic bag and nitrous oxide asphyxia”. Jones said the loss left her furious and devastated. “I feel they have taken my child’s life,” she said.
Legal use, easy access
Nitrous oxide is used in hospitals as an anaesthetic, in dentistry and in commercial kitchens to whip cream. But the same gas is also inhaled for a short high that users often chase again and again. Sales for recreational use are banned in law, yet the product remains easy to find in much of Australia.
In most states, nangs can be bought from tobacconists and some convenience stores with little friction. Western Australia has tighter rules on who can buy nitrous oxide, while South Australia limits in-store sales hours. In New South Wales, the ABC’s 7.30 reported several Sydney tobacconists selling it without asking what it would be used for.
The market has moved beyond physical stores. Delivery services now advertise nitrous oxide, some operating around the clock. Large cylinders can arrive at home like any other parcel. Quick delivery. No questions. That is part of the problem.
Researchers say that easy access helps normalize a drug that many young people still do not treat as risky. The gas is often used on the way to parties or mixed with alcohol and other drugs. The effect fades fast, so some users keep repeating the dose.
Imports climb 15-fold
Border data suggest the scale of supply has changed sharply. Australian Border Force figures show nitrous oxide imports rose from 249 tonnes in 2015 to almost 3,800 tonnes in 2025, around 15 times higher. Customs value increased from about A$2 million to A$19 million over the same period.
Those numbers do not prove all of the growth comes from recreational use. Still, researchers and clinicians say the jump is too large to dismiss. Australia has no comprehensive national data on nitrous oxide use, which leaves a major blind spot around how many teenagers and young adults are misusing it.
Associate Professor Jacqui Cameron, a social work researcher at the University of Wollongong, said that gap weakens prevention efforts. “We don’t actually know, particularly among young people, how much they’re using because we’re not asking that question,” Cameron told 7.30.
Her research found many users see nitrous oxide as safe because it is legal and easy to buy. That perception matters. It lowers the guard.
What the risk looks like
Sam Bramman, 21, learned the hard way how fast use can spiral. The Sydney park worker first tried nitrous oxide at a party in 2023. Curiosity turned into dependence. “I got addicted really quickly,” he said.
At the worst point, his days revolved around getting nangs and using them. “I would just constantly think, ‘When am I getting my next hit?’” Bramman said. His condition escalated into prolonged psychotic episodes. He fled his Sydney home, drove to the Gold Coast because he believed police were chasing him, and inhaled nitrous oxide while driving before losing consciousness behind the wheel.
“I was on the wrong side of the road, on the motorway,” he said. He was later admitted involuntarily to a psychiatric ward. After 18 months of recovery, he now campaigns for tighter controls and clearer warnings.
Doctors say the medical danger can be severe. Dr Jessamine Soderstrom, a toxicologist at Royal Perth Hospital, said nitrous oxide can interfere with vitamin B12 and trigger nerve damage. “One of the main effects is spinal cord nerve damage,” she said. That can lead to numbness, walking problems and, in serious cases, permanent disability.
Clinicians are also seeing psychiatric harm. Some patients arrive with confusion, paranoia or psychosis after heavy use. Large cylinders have made the risk worse. They are far bigger than the old 9-gram canisters and can contain hundreds or even thousands of grams. “There is no legitimate use for large cylinders,” Soderstrom said.
The rules remain uneven across the country. Cameron called Australia’s regulatory system “patchwork”, with different state limits and enforcement challenges as sales move online. Jones wants a faster response. Her son had ordered several large cylinders in the weeks before his death, and his mother says the next package could still land at another front door. Border Force data show nitrous oxide imports hit almost 3,800 tonnes in 2025.
