Nitrous oxide-a narcotic

Laughing gas is an oxidizing, poorly water-soluble, colorless gas with a sweet odor from the group of N-O compounds and is used in the medical context mainly as an anesthetic or analgesic; however, the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) warns against the private consumption of nitrous oxide as it can have dangerous consequences, such as nerve damage, paralysis, neurological damage, polyneuropathy, paresthesia and spinal cord degeneration as a result of a disturbance of vitamin B12 metabolism. Therefore, nitrous oxide should only be used for medical and technical purposes (e.g., as propellant gas in cream dispensers) and not for private "fun consumption". Thus, physicians are allowed to use the gas as a mild anesthetic. This article deals with the chemical composition and the biological positive and negative consequences of nitrous oxide and their consideration in the occupational health setting.