Teenagers at risk of unknown dangers

HEALTH experts say teenagers who inhale nitrous oxide from canisters are doing harmful damage to their brains.

However, they cannot determine the true effect of the injuries because they don’t know enough about it.

Anecdotal evidence from dealers, schoolies and social media posts suggests the teenagers are using thousands of legal nitrous oxide canisters, also known as “nangs” or “whippets”, to get high on the Gold Coast.

Sydney teen Hamish Bidgood died early Thursday after falling from a balcony in Surfers Paradise. Police suspect he was under the influence of the drug.

The Alcohol and Drug Foundation’s Geoff Munro said more research was needed into the party drug’s prevalence and potential harm before changes to regulations could be made.

“One of the big problems is we don’t know about the impact of nangs because it hasn't been well researched compared to alcohol,” Mr Munro said.

“All we have at the moment is anecdotal evidence ... so we just don’t know to what degree they’ve contributed to people’s injuries or deaths.

“Young people need to know the impact these substances can have.”

He said the drug had concerning side-effects, including leaving people feeling light-headed, dizzy, unco-ordinated or losing their balance.

“That in itself puts them at risk of all sorts of accidents and injuries,” he said. Long-term use could lead to users failing to develop to their cognitive potential or experience psychosis.

“Young people who have access to nangs and are hearing these stories need to realise the risk they’re running,” he said.

The Gold Coast Medical Association’s Dr Sonu Haikerwal said education about the dangers of the drug was vital.

“We need to focus more on education than any option,” she said. “We need to have a conversation about what is a good high and what is a good party.

“It’s quite scary, we have to change the overall peer attitude.”

Yesterday, a Queensland Government spokesman said police had the power to crack down and search for, seize and dispose of potentially harmful things if they had reasonable suspicion that a person has, is, or is about to ingest or inhale a potentially harmful thing.

There are also offences on the books in relation to selling spray paint or other materials to consume or inhale.

In a statement, the spokesman said police could step in before users make a potentially fatal mistake.

“Inhaling large amounts of nitrous oxide can lead to respiratory issues, loss of blood pressure, fainting and heart attack,” he said “People who inhale nitrous oxide risk developing hypoxia if they do not get enough oxygen. This can be fatal.”

Queensland Ambulance Service clinical director Tony Hucker said there had been an increase in the use of nitrous oxide across the country.