Videos of teenagers getting dizzy, falling and crashing cars circulate on social media and garner millions of views thanks to a wildly popular product called Galaxy Gas.
It’s a can of flavored nitrous oxide, also known as whiskets or laughing gas, which is supposed to be used in whipped cream, cocktails, and coffees.
Instead, people inhale the gas, which acts on the nervous system and gives the user a minute-long head rush and a feeling of euphoria and tingling. In response, Galaxy Gas has suspended sales of its product.
Dr. Sulagna Misra, a primary care physician, told DailyMail.com: “This issue is very worrying because the effect is temporary and constantly pursued, and the product is very accessible.”
He added that people can overdose and die from inhaling the gas because it robs the brain and body of oxygen. Nitrous oxide had claimed the lives of at least two dozen Americans.
Galaxy Gas representatives told the media that their product is intended for culinary purposes only. As scrutiny has increased on the company in recent weeks, it has stopped selling its whipped cream tubs.
The death of John Schoenig (pictured), who died at a Penn State fraternity party held off campus in 2019, was ruled accidental. Died from inhaling nitrous oxide, not related to Galaxy Gas
Whippets have been abused for decades, but Royal London hospital research suggests that it has been “rising rapidly” in both the United States and the United Kingdom, and has become the seventh most popular drug in the world.
There are no recent reports on the number of deaths related to laughing gas. As of 2016, the most recent data cited, there have been 29 deaths in the US from nitrous oxide, according to a Yale doctors study.
Atlanta-based Galaxy Gas has only been around since 2021.
One video of people inhaling nitrous oxide shows a group of teenagers passing a can at school. The title of the video says it is Galaxy Gas, which is sold in brightly colored cans with abstract designs.
Immediately after being hit, a boy falls unsteadily against the wall before falling to the ground. Then he laughs and gets up.
Another video shows a different child immediately falling to the ground after huffing out of the container and slurring his words.
A third shows a child driving at high speed with a canister of nitrous oxide in his hands.
He apparently doesn’t see any vehicles parked on the shoulder in the distance and crashes into them while the passengers scream.
In 2023, Ashley Broha She returned home from work to find her fiancé, whose identity has been withheld, dead. It was hooked up to a nitrous oxide tank.
The coroner’s report found that the Louisiana man had died from oxygen deprivation caused by nitrous oxide poisoning.
In 2019, a 17-year-old Pennsylvania high school student named John Schoenig died after inhaling nitrous oxide at a party. The gas had robbed his body of oxygen, stopping his heart.
Jenna Combel, a young woman from New Orleans, he told Fox8 She became addicted to nitrous oxide and was eventually hospitalized after the chemical caused her to lose feeling in her legs. He couldn’t walk for months.
Social media has been filled with videos of people doing Whipets while their friends stand there and laugh when they fall to the ground, their voice changes, or they say something incoherent, but most of the images have been removed from the sites.
When you search ‘Galaxy Gas’ on TikTok, a disclaimer appears that says: ‘Some substances can be dangerous when used or misused. 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 above.
When used without medical supervision, people are likely to ingest more nitrous oxide than they should, causing headaches, nausea, vomiting, agitation, low blood pressure, fainting, heart attacks, and nerve damage.
Children are particularly susceptible to some of the symptoms, because their brains are still developing and they can suffer permanent damage from using the gas, Dr. Migra said.
Inhaling too much at once can cut off the oxygen supply to the brain and body, causing death.
Long-term use has been linked to an increased risk of depression, psychosis, memory loss, muscle spasms, numbness and problems with the 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 tobacco shops throughout the country, completely legally, with no minimum purchase age or identification required.
Most states have little or no regulation on the product, and even in those that do, it is sometimes possible for people to order the products online.
Louisiana became the first state to ban retail sales of nitrous oxide containers earlier this year. In 2023, New York passed a ban on selling cartridges to people under 21 years of age.
When nitrous oxide was discovered in the 18th century, doctors quickly took advantage of its calming and anesthetic properties, and it is still widely used in doctors’ offices today.
The gas affects the nervous system, producing a feeling of relaxation, lightheadedness and tingling.
It takes effect quickly and wears off quickly, so in a medical setting, doctors carefully monitor the amount used.
When attached to a container filled with cream, a nitrous oxide tank creates an instant whipped product. But when not connected to any food, the tanks dispense only the gas, which people can inhale. This photo from the Galaxy Gas website shows how to use the product correctly.
In the 1930s, scientists discovered that using pressurized gas with cream could create instant whipped cream.
This led to the loophole that exists today, where in many states it is legal to sell canisters of nitrous oxide without restrictions if the products are manufactured for culinary purposes.
Since then, laughing gas abuse has been “increasing rapidly.”
public figures, like the rapper Skrillahave used nitrous oxide outdoors. The Atlanta native pulled out a gas canister during a 2024 interview with YouTuber Adam Grandmaison, and the pair passed it back and forth, appearing to inhale the gas behind a blurry logo.
It’s unclear what brand the rapper and YouTuber were using.
As such, many companies have emerged 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 when you enter the Galaxy Gas website says: “Products containing nitrous oxide are sold solely as a food processing propellant for whipped cream and culinary food use only.”
In response to recent reports, the company said: “Galaxy Gas products are for responsible culinary use only, and we are deeply concerned by recent news reports and social media posts of people illegally misusing our products.” .
However, critics of nitrous oxide products, such as New York Sen. Joe Addabbo, say these companies don’t have as many barriers in place as they should.
sen Addabbo told Fox8: ‘They know exactly what they are doing and they don’t target their marketing at 16-year-old bakers. No. They are using it for the other use of nitrous oxide, illegal use.
‘We have a problem at the national level. (Nitrous oxide is) accessible and cheap. “It’s available, it’s easy to use, and I think it should get national attention.”