Nitrous oxide surge in Australia raises death risk

SYDNEY — nitrous oxide delivered to Australian doorsteps is drawing fresh scrutiny after one family lost a son and doctors reported increasingly serious harms. The gas, widely known as nangs or laughing gas, can still be sold for legitimate uses, but in practice it is also flowing to recreational users.

The story began with Daniel, a 36-year-old fruit shop owner in Brisbane, whom his mother, Tessa Jones, described as a hard worker who had finally begun to enjoy the rewards of his effort. He had paid off his business loan, was planning a long-awaited holiday and had written out a bucket list of things he wanted to do. In February this year, Jones found her son dead in his bedroom. In the same room, handwritten notes and materials were left behind, pointing to what led to his death.

Daniel’s death certificate listed the cause as “plastic bag and nitrous oxide asphyxia”. For Jones, the loss felt sudden and brutal. “I feel they have taken my child’s life,” she said.

Legal gas, wide loopholes

Nitrous oxide has legitimate uses. Hospitals use it as an anaesthetic, dentists rely on it in certain procedures, and commercial kitchens use the gas to whip cream. The problem is that the same gas is also used to get high. Sales for recreational purposes are banned in law, but in several Australian states it remains easy to obtain.

In most states, nangs can be bought from tobacconists and some convenience stores without much trouble. Western Australia has stricter rules on who can buy nitrous oxide, while South Australia limits in-store sales hours. In New South Wales, 7.30 reported visiting several tobacconists in Sydney, where staff did not ask what the product would be used for.

What worries researchers more is that access is no longer limited to shopfronts. There are now many delivery services advertising nitrous oxide, some operating around the clock. Large cylinders can arrive at home like any other parcel. Fast. Quiet. And that makes it dangerous.

Imports jump 15-fold

Australian Border Force data show nitrous oxide imports have climbed sharply over the past decade. In 2015, Australia imported 249 tonnes. By 2025, that figure had risen to almost 3,800 tonnes, about 15 times higher. Customs value also climbed from about A$2 million to A$19 million over the same period.

The numbers do not automatically prove all of the increase is tied to recreational use. Even so, researchers and clinicians say the surge is hard to ignore. Australia still does not have comprehensive national data on nitrous oxide consumption. That leaves a major blind spot around how widespread misuse is among teenagers and young adults.

Associate Professor Jacqui Cameron, a social work researcher at the University of Wollongong, said the lack of national prevalence data is a serious problem. “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 young people do not see nitrous oxide as a dangerous drug. They view it as safe because it is legal and easy to buy. Some use it on the way to parties; others mix it with alcohol and other drugs. The effect is short-lived. One balloon, and it is gone. Because the high fades quickly, many repeat the dose to chase the same sensation.

From experimentation to dependence

Sam Bramman, 21, knows how quickly that habit can take over. The Sydney park worker first tried nitrous oxide at a party in 2023. What started as curiosity became a pattern of use he could no longer control. “I got addicted really quickly,” he told 7.30.

At the height of his dependence, Bramman’s days revolved around one thing: getting and using nangs. “I would just constantly think, ‘When am I getting my next hit?’” he said. His condition worsened into prolonged psychotic episodes. He fled his Sydney home in a state of severe paranoia, then drove to the Gold Coast because he believed police were chasing him.

During the trip, he inhaled nitrous oxide while driving and lost consciousness behind the wheel. “I was on the wrong side of the road, on the motorway,” he said. He was then admitted involuntarily to a psychiatric ward. After 18 months of recovery, Bramman now campaigns for tighter controls and greater public awareness of the risks.

Nerve damage and mental health harm

Doctors are also seeing more worrying medical effects. Dr Jessamine Soderstrom, a toxicologist at Royal Perth Hospital, said nitrous oxide can trigger nerve damage by interfering with vitamin B12. “One of the main effects is spinal cord nerve damage,” she said.

The result can be numbness, difficulty walking and, in severe cases, permanent disability. Clinical teams are also seeing psychiatric complications. At that point, the danger of nitrous oxide can no longer be treated as a joke or party trick.

Changes in how the gas is used are making the problem harder to contain. Where users once tended to buy small 9-gram canisters, many now use cylinders containing hundreds or even thousands of grams. “There is no legitimate use for large cylinders,” Soderstrom said.

The problem is that large cylinders remain easy to buy from many sellers. Different rules across states create loopholes. Cameron described Australia’s regulatory landscape as “patchwork”. Some jurisdictions have already restricted sales, but enforcement is not easy, especially as transactions move online.

For Jones, all of those gaps feel painfully real. Her son ordered several large cylinders in the weeks and days before his death. She hopes Daniel’s story pushes faster change, because without uniform rules and serious oversight, the next package could still land at another family’s front door.

Looking ahead, Australia’s debate appears headed in two directions at once: tighter sales controls and the search for national data that has long been missing. Without both, doctors fear the nitrous oxide surge will keep moving quietly from stores to home delivery services.