Videos of teenagers becoming lightheaded, falling over and crashing cars are circulating on social media and being viewed millions of times thanks to a wildly popular product called Galaxy Gas.
It is a can of flavored nitrous oxide, also called whippets or laughing gas, that is used in whipped cream, cocktails and coffee.
Instead, people inhale the gas, which acts on the nervous system and gives the user a head rush and a euphoric, tingling sensation that lasts for minutes. In response, Galaxy Gas stopped selling its product.
Dr. Sulagna Misra, a general practitioner, told DailyMail.com: ‘This issue is very disturbing because the high is temporary and constantly chased, and the product is very accessible.’
She added that people can overdose and die from inhaling the gas because it deprives the brain and body of oxygen. Nitrous oxide had claimed the lives of at least twenty Americans.
Galaxy gas representatives told news media that their product is intended for culinary purposes only. Because the company has come under scrutiny in recent weeks, it has stopped selling whipped cream canisters
The death of John Schoenig (pictured), who died at a Penn State student party held off campus in 2019, was ruled an accident. He died from inhaling nitrous oxide, it was not linked to Galaxy Gas
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Whippets have been abused for decades, but… research from the Royal London Hospital suggests it is ‘rising rapidly’ in both the US and Britain and has become the seventh most popular drug in the world.
There are no recent reports on the number of deaths caused by nitrous oxide. According to the most recent data, there were 29 deaths from nitrous oxide in the US in 2016. study by Yale physicians.
Atlanta-based Galaxy Gas has only been around since 2021.
A video of people inhaling nitrous oxide shows a group of teenagers passing around a bus at school. The caption for the video says it’s Galaxy Gas, which is sold in brightly colored cans with abstract designs on them.
Immediately after being punched, a boy falls unsteadily against the wall before falling to the ground. Then he laughs and stands up.
Another video shows another boy immediately falling to the ground after snorting from the bus – his words were slurred.
A third shows a boy driving at high speed with a container of nitrous oxide in his hands.
He apparently sees no vehicle parked on the shoulder in the distance, and crashes into it as the passengers in the car scream.
In 2023, Ashley Broha returned home from work to find her fiancé, whose identity has remained hidden, dead. He was connected to a tank of nitrous oxide.
A coroner’s report found that the Louisiana man died from a lack of oxygen caused by nitrous oxide poisoning.
In 2019, a 17-year-old high school student from Pennsylvania named John Schoenig died after inhaling nitrous oxide at a party. The gas had deprived his body of oxygen and stopped his heart.
Jenna Combel, a young woman from New Orleans, told Fox8 she became addicted to nitrous oxide and was eventually hospitalized after the chemical caused her to lose feeling in her legs. She couldn’t walk for months.
Social media had many videos of people doing whippets while friends walked around and laughed as they fell to the ground, changed their voices or said something incoherent, but most of the footage has been removed from sites.
When you search for “Galaxy Gas” on TikTok, a disclaimer will appear that reads: “Some substances may be dangerous when used or abused. Learn more about how drugs, alcohol and tobacco can affect your mind, body and behavior.’
Videos on social media show people inhaling the gas and falling from heights
If used without a doctor’s supervision, people are likely to ingest more nitrous oxide than necessary, leading to headaches, nausea, vomiting, agitation, low blood pressure, fainting, heart attack and nerve damage.
Children are particularly susceptible to some of the symptoms because their brains are still developing and can be permanently damaged by use of the gas, Dr. Migra said.
Inhaling too much at once can cut off oxygen supply to the brain and body, which can result in death.
Long-term use has been linked to an increased risk of depression, psychosis, memory loss, muscle spasms, numbness and problems with your immune system, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Because the gas can be used to make instant whipped cream, it is sold in supermarkets, gas stations and smoke shops across the country, completely legally, with no minimum age of purchase or identification required.
Most states have little to no regulation of the product, and even in states that do, people can sometimes order the products online.
Louisiana became the first state to ban the retail sale of nitrous oxide containers earlier this year. In 2023, New York passed a ban on the sale of the cartridges to people under the age of 21.
When nitrous oxide was discovered in the 18th century, doctors quickly took advantage of its sedative and anesthetic properties – and it is still widely used in doctors’ offices.
The gas affects the nervous system and causes a feeling of relaxation, light-headedness and tingling.
It works quickly and wears off quickly, so in a medical setting, doctors closely monitor the amount used.
When the nitrous oxide tank is connected to a can full of cream, a whipped product is immediately created. But when not connected to food, the tanks only release the gas, which people can inhale. This photo from the Galaxy Gas website shows how to properly use the product
In the 1930s, scientists discovered that using the pressurized gas with cream could produce instant whipped cream.
This led to the loophole that exists today, where in many states it is legal to sell nitrous oxide canisters without restrictions if the products are manufactured for culinary purposes.
Since then, nitrous oxide abuse has ‘increased rapidly’.
Public figures, like rapper Skrillahave used nitrous oxide in the open air. The Atlanta native pulled out a canister of gas during a 2024 interview with YouTuber Adam Grandmaison, and the pair passed it back and forth, pretending to inhale the gas behind a blurry logo.
It is unclear which brand the rapper and YouTuber used.
As such, many companies have sprung up to meet the demand – Galaxy Gas is just one of many nitrous oxide products sold under the culinary umbrella. Others include Elitegas, GreatWhip and Boosted.
A disclaimer that appears upon entering the Galaxy Gas website reads: ‘Products containing nitrous oxide are sold solely as a food processing propellant for whipped cream and for culinary use only.’
In response to recent reports, the company said: ‘Galaxy Gas products are intended for responsible culinary use only, and we are deeply concerned by recent news and social media posts from individuals illegally misusing our products.’
However, critics of nitrous oxide products, such as New York Senator Joe Addabbo, say these companies have not installed as many guardrails as they should.
Sen Addabbo told Fox8: ‘They know exactly what they are doing and they are not targeting 16-year-old bakers. No. They use it for the other use of nitrous oxide, the illegal use.
‘We have a national problem. (laughing gas is) accessible, cheap. It’s available, easy to use and I think it should get national attention.’