From: [m--e] at [baobab.cadif.cornell.edu]
Newsgroups: alt.drugs
Subject: Re: Nitrous. Brain Damage. Yes or No?!?
Date: 20 Jul 1993 16:06:12 GMT

In article <[1--8--7] at [blue.cis.pitt.edu]>, [m b t] at [pitt.edu] (Michael B Tierney) writes:
>Hi all,
>	I've heard so much myth going back and forth on this one, I feel
>like I've been to a tennis match.  Does Nitrous Oxide kill brain cells,
>yes or no?!?  I've read medical articles and heard of doctors stating it does
>not, then I talk to people who say they've heard similar evidence to the
>contrary.  So lets get this cleared up once and for all: for the record,
>does nitrous oxide kill brain cells?  Are there any studies that show
>this?  Thanks all!
>-me
>

Hi,

	I've posted this before, but once more won't hurt...

	My wife is a veterinary technician, and she recently attended an
anesthesia seminar to upgrade her skills. There she was told that facilities
that use nitrous for anesthetic should be very careful about leakage, and
should install scrubbers to remove residual nitrous from the air. The story
was that _long term_, _chronic_ exposure to the stuff was dangerous - they
were shown a film of a man suffering parkinson's-like symptoms, presumably
from such exposure.

	Now, recreational use of nitrous is hardly long-term and chronic - 
usually not, anyway :) - and for the record I have known plenty of people who 
have done _plenty_ of nitrous will no apparent ill effects. However, given the
context of the information above, I am inclined to lend it some credibility.
I would not do a lot of the stuff, repeatedly, for a long time.

	Perhaps someone with a real education can clarify this. 


							- Michael Chase
							(not [m--e] at [cadif]!)