Health New Zealand recorded 29 hospitalisations for poisoning by inhaled anaesthetics such as nitrous oxide, or nangs, in the year to June. Photo / NZME
Health New Zealand recorded 29 hospitalisations for poisoning by inhaled anaesthetics such as nitrous oxide, or nangs, in the year to June. Photo / NZME
Hospitalisations and poisonings from nitrous oxide abuse have become more common, despite police efforts to crack down on illegal sales.
Nitrous oxide canisters – or nangs – are used in medicine and for whipped cream in catering, but are increasingly being used as a recreational drug.
Health NewZealand recorded 29 hospitalisations for poisoning by inhaled anaesthetics such as nangs in the year to June, up from 21 the previous year and 10 the year before.
The agency said that “anecdotally, we know that the majority of these hospitalisations will be related to recreational use”.
National Poisons Centre data released to Newstalk ZB under the Official Information Act shows 21 reports of nitrous oxide exposures were reported to the centre last year, up from 19 in 2024 and 11 in 2023.
Of the exposures reported since 2019, 70% of patients were aged 20-54, 23% were 13-19, and 7% were 2-12.
The centre said the total number of exposures remained small but appeared to be increasing.
Some people reported losing the ability to walk, psychosis, numbness and slurred speech, and some reported inhaling hundreds of nangs – up to 10 litres of nitrous oxide – in a single day.
Bottles containing nitrous oxide up to 3.3 litres in size are available for sale, the equivalent of 300 small canisters. Photo / Doug Laing
Health New Zealand’s regional chief medical officer for Te Waipounamu, neurologist Dr David Gow, said heavy use could deplete vitamin B12, which was needed in the spinal cord, nerves and brain.
Depleting the vitamin could cause people to stagger, lose sensation in their hands and feet and lose control of their bladders.
“When it’s prolonged use, the symptoms become chronic, and the outcome is quite poor, which can have a huge impact on individuals and their whānau.
“I’ve got personal experience of seeing patients who have got neurological damage associated with nangs, and I have to say they had no idea that this was a possible outcome.”
Two people in a car using balloons to inhale nitrous oxide or 'nangs' - a popular way of taking the gas. Photo / NZ Police
Penalties currently include a fine of up to $500,000 or two years’ imprisonment.
Retail NZ chief executive Carolyn Young said catering companies would not be buying canisters from high-street stores, and any non-specialist retailers selling the canisters should reconsider doing so.
She said the sale of nangs could also be contributing to retail crime.
“Some of the youth that have been caught doing retail crime recently have been stealing from stores to sell the product on a black market in order to buy the nitrous oxide.”
Health Minister Simeon Brown is considering options for cracking down further on the illegal sale of nitrous oxide. Photo / Michael Craig
Health Minister Simeon Brown said maximum penalties for illegally selling nangs were increased last year.
“I have requested advice on how effective these changes have been, including whether additional measures are needed to keep New Zealanders safe.”
Communities Against Alcohol Harm secretary Grant Hewison said the Government should empower councils to regulate how substances were used, sold and marketed at a local level.
“It’s just becoming more and more widespread, and we’re really concerned that, you know, we’ll end up with a crisis, like we did with synthetic cannabis.”
Lachlan Rennie is an Auckland-based multimedia journalist for Newstalk ZB covering science, defence, technology, community issues and general news. He previously studied journalism at the New Zealand Broadcasting School before joining NZME in 2024.
