10 late news; Man dies, 2 others admitted to hospital

[chemical freak]

Not sure if i heard correctly but my ears pricked up at the end of the story when the news reader said "they apparently passed out after inhaling nitrous oxide".
Did anyone else catch this news story? I'm sure it would be of interest to the many bluelighters who enjoy a bulb.... or 10.

 

[Morpher]

must have been from a tank. Even if you pass out from a bulb you will breath fresh air straight away.

 

[Fry-d-]

Man dead after 'gas experiment'

From: AAP
September 18, 2005

ONE man is dead and three people are critically ill following an apparent bungled experiment with laughing gas in a car in Sydney.

The four people, aged in their 20s and 30s, were found unconscious in a car outside a home at Toongabbie about 7.45am (AEST) yesterday.
The group had been inhaling nitrous oxide - also known as laughing gas - before falling unconscious, News Ltd newspapers reported today.

A resident, whose home backs onto Union Street where the car was found, said the man who found the group came to his house for help.

"He came over screaming that the car was full of nitrous oxide," the resident said.

"The next thing there wasa ambulance officers everywhere."

Seven ambulances were sent to the rescue after reports four people were slumped in their car seats unconscious.
One of three men, believed to live in the home where the silver Hyundai was parked, was taken to Blacktown Hospital but later died.

Neighbours described him as friendly and hard-working.

The two other men and a woman remained in a serious condition in hospital, police said.

Police have said it is too early to speculate about the circumstances of the incident.

A blue one metre-high gas tank was removed from the car for testing.

A post mortem examination was carried out on the body of the dead man yesterday.


From News.com.au

 

[En_warp]

that sounds wierd,

maybe they kept the tank on while all sittling in the car????

 

[phase_dancer]

I once knew a bunch of guys who after hearing about poor security at a local hospital decided to steal a N2O cylinder. Their favourite activity was to drive around with the tank in the back seat leaking gas and slowly intoxicating the driver and passengers.

I couldn't believe it to be honest, but it seems now that it's not so uncommon. Mind you the guys I spoke of were pretty wild dudes. Came out of no-where, partied hard in the area -freaking out the more conservative and quite users - then as quickly as they arrived, they completely disappeared without a trace. Perhaps they'll one day turn up in a car at the bottom of some ravine somewhere

 

[Psychadelic_Paisly]

Wow, locking yourself in a car with a gas cylinder running.... I can't describe the moronic nature of such a thing.... Sad that they died though...
LEARN FROM THIS PEOPLE! gas + cars = not good. Stick to balloons and crackers

 

[eggman]

We all discussed and added to a good harm reduction guide set up by Splatt earlier this year, go read it here

I have also bumped this thread so it is easily located given NOS is likely to be a discussion point this week given this particular event.

If only this character and his mates had used bluelight and taken on some of these suggestions he would be alive today. In esssence, Nitrous is a relatively harmless drug, however it still collects its tax from you. Be sensible, be informed, play safe and stay alive.

 

[hoptis]

Police hail laughing gas rescuer
September 19, 2005 - 9:48AM

Four people who tried a deadly experiment with laughing gas were old enough to know better, NSW police say.

One man is dead and three others were critically injured after the four allegedly inhaled nitrous oxide in a car at Toongabbie, in Sydney's west.

Blacktown police chief inspector Damon Cox said a local resident found the four in a semi-conscious or unconscious state inside the car about 7.45am yesterday morning and dragged a couple of them out.

"He could smell a bit of a smell inside the car, a sort of a sweet smell, so he's rung Triple-0," Chief Insp Cox told ABC Radio.

"His actions have actually saved a few of their lives."

A 38-year-old man was rushed to Blacktown hospital where he later died.

A woman, 23, from Maraylya near Windsor remained in a "very critical condition" in Westmead Hospital, he said.

The other two males, a 33-year-old from Toongabbie, and a 22-year-old from Pennant Hills, were treated and released from hospital last night.
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A blue cylinder inside the car, labelled nitrous oxide, was seized for forensic examination, Chief Insp Cox said.

"Now whilst we can't confirm the contents until they are examined, we believe that's what we're dealing with," he said.

He said it was an unusual situation, but was not a first in his policing career.

"People do some weird and wondrous things to try and get a bit of a buzz, or whether in fact it was an accident, we don't know but certainly it's not a first," he said.

"The gas itself, they commonly call it laughing gas, so whether these people were sort of using it to maybe get a bit of a high or something like that, but it obviously had disastrous effects."

Chief Insp Cox said the four were old enough to know better.

"They're certainly adults that should know better and if, in fact, they are fooling around with gases like this, it certainly gives a strong warning."

The emergency services director at Sydney's St Vincent's Hospital, Dr Gordian Fulde, said it is a lack of oxygen, rather than the gas itself, that is deadly.

"The thing that kills people and makes them very sick is not the gas, it's the exclusion of oxygen - the same thing goes for smoke or chemical fumes when people are working in enclosed spaces," he told ABC Online.

A post mortem examination will be carried out on the dead man to determine cause of death.

- AAP

From The Age

 

[Zaineaol]

i watched my g/f and her friend do some freaked out shit on normal nangs the other day, man that wasn't cool! one looked like she was dying the other one seemed as if she was choking or something, but awoke soon after like nothing was happening.. fuck it was freaky

 

[Cyberdyne]

Props to the media for reporting it correctly...the cops think the individuals are essentially idiots who should have known better, not that NOS is a harmful party drug on the rise that needs to be clamped down upon...

 

[ayjay]

Also in the Herald Scum:

Man dies in laughing gas tragedy
Lillian Saleh and Gemma Jones
19sep05

A MAN is dead and a woman fighting for her life in hospital after what appeared to be a bizarre experiment with laughing gas between friends went horribly wrong yesterday.

Four people were found slumped inside a two-door silver Hyundai Excel hatchback parked on the front lawn of a house in Toongabbie, western Sydney, at 7.30am.
It is believed the four had inhaled nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas.

Forensic police yesterday removed a blue metre-long gas tank from the boot of the car for fingerprinting and testing.

A man living in a granny flat at the back of the house found the three men and a woman, aged in their early 20s and late 30s, slumped in the car as he went for an early morning walk.

Seven ambulances went to the address and an ambulance spokeswoman said paramedics pulled the four people out of the car, finding a man and woman, aged in their 20s, in cardiac arrest.

Paramedics were able to restart the woman's heart before she was rushed to Westmead Hospital where she remains in a critical condition.

One of the men -- believed to be the occupant of the house -- was taken to Blacktown Hospital but later died.

Residents in the street were yesterday shocked by the incident and described the man as friendly and a hard worker.

The other two men were last night stable in hospital.

Chief Insp Olsen said police were yet to determine what had happened and what type of gas it was, but he ruled out it being barbecue fuel.

He said officers hoped the two male survivors could shed light on what the four were doing in the car.

Police would also determine whether the gas cylinder had sprung a leak or if its valve was deliberately turned on.

Glad the police "ruled out it being barbecue fuel"...

The only times I've heard of people coming to grief with nitrous, there's a cylinder involved.

 

[dragonflyk8]

Anyone happen to catch Dr Karls impressions on JJJ today? Basically.... yeah if u pass out on Nitrous and your still inhaling nitrous rather than oxygen then yes you can die. Thats why u should never use a medical mask with straps if you are on nitrous.... just hold it to your mouth so if you fall down you stop getting Nitrous in your lungs.
These guys were in a very confined space (CAR) with a LARGE BOTTLE and no fresh oxygen. Very silly!

Another interesting thing dr karl said that i didnt know... if you use wippets (cream bulbs) you can sometimes have quite a nasty effect as they use other chemicals also which are not intended for direct human consumption. Ever noticed u sometimes get good and bad batches of wippets? This is why.
hmmmm. maybe i should have a nang and thing about it?
.....................
.................nang nang nang nang nang
nope i lost it..
wat were we talking about?

 

[Fina]

More quality reporting from the Daily Telegraph on this "Invisible Killer".
I wonder what "internet web page" they are referring to...

Party drug invisible but deadly


September 19, 2005

AN invisible killer with a sweet smell, laughing gas is an easily-accessible substance with an alarmingly big following of young people who use it as a party drug.

A man who died in a car at Toongabbie and three others who were found unconscious inside yesterday are believed to have inhaled the gas.

Colourless and commonly used by medical professionals as a pain reliever, in the wrong hands its effects can be devastating.

Inhaling large amounts leads to an instant high, characterised by a rush of euphoria, numbness of the body, giddiness, distorted perceptions and extreme anxiety.

Hypoxia, a potentially fatal condition in which the body is starved of oxygen, is a common side-effect of inhaling too much of the gas.




Inhaling straight from a gas canister can also "freeze" parts of the user's throat and lungs, rendering the user unable to breath.

Despite the terrifying consequences, some users have boasted on the internet about inhaling laughing gas to get high.

The National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre's Paul Dillon said the effects of the gas, when used as a party drug, were frightening and lethal.

"It is usually a drug people experiment with and move away from.

"It is not a drug you tend to see people in their 20s and 30s using,"he said.

"You can die from using it, in a number of different ways."

A group claiming to have used the drug at the Glastonbury Music Festival in the UK have created an internet web page in which they describe how they videotaped users.

One person wrote, "Memorable moment ... shouting 'I'm a helicopter' after the first couple of breaths."

Another wrote it was the "best one-minute buzz in the world".

All seemed completely oblivious to the drug's dangers with one falsely claiming, "After all it only makes you laugh, lots."

Locking yourself in a car with an entire tank going off and cracking a couple of bulbs (like any moderately sane drug user) are two different beasts altogether...

 

[eggman]

Looks like Paul from NDARC has been selectively quoted in this article. From what I have heard from him in the past I am sure he went into a lot more detail than that.

Daily Telegraph is high on my list of publications not even worthy of wiping your arse with. After all they employ Piers Ackerman.

 

[Cyberdyne]

More quality reporting from the Daily Telegraph on this "Invisible Killer".
I wonder what "internet web page" they are referring to...



Locking yourself in a car with an entire tank going off and cracking a couple of bulbs (like any moderately sane drug user) are two different beasts altogether...

lol...there it is...what a shame eh

 

[phase_dancer]

Hypoxia is what killed the guy. A cylinder of helium in the same situation could have easily resulted in a similar outcome. However, it's likely to be concluded that nitrous would have you pass out quickly from effects of the gas, whereas with another, more benign gas, one might think a person or persons would become drowsy and then perhaps realize what was going on before passing out.....

However, any pressurized gas in an enclosed environment could displace enough oxygen as to cause hypoxia (particularly one lighter than air). Propane has been used for years as an asphyxiate. The windows are sealed shut, the gas is turned on, and the subject, willing or otherwise, suffocates as the oxygen in the air is displaced by the escaping gas.

While nitrous is not quite propane - & nitrous does carry substantial risks of its own IMO - it's not nearly as nasty as those articles (or this story) would have you believe. So, it's probably fair to say that it's not the gas itself so much, but the behavior of those involved that caused this terrible outcome.

I've seen several people under the influence bang their heads while falling, and known many crazy characters involve themselves in intoxicated activities that only the wildest of users would feel at home with. But not one has died or stopped breathing for any signficant length of time. N2O is a great blast just on orgasm, for both guys and girls, as it seems to prolong the orgasm significantly. As might be expected, I've some very funny stories concerning this practice

Another point I disagree with in the article is the age thing. I've personally known many 'older' people that partake in the practice of balloon filling or straight nanging. In fact, a guy in his late 30's was the first one to introduce me to such "legal drugs" in 1981. This character used to make a big deal of purchasing 50 or more boxes of bulbs. He indicated to me that anytime a checkout operator looked at his pile and asked if he was having a big party, he would eagerly reply at the top of his voice "Nah, Legal drugs baby, Legal drugs..."

This guy taught me heaps of tricks using N2O, some of which I've not seen mentioned elsewhere. He also indicated that most of his class mates at the Sydney Uni - where he studied medical prosthetics- also used nitrous on a regular basis. An older dentist who my girl worked for was hooked on the stuff, and many of the ravers I've seen doing N2O were aged over 25. So, sorry Paul, but it's definitely an all ages drug.

 

[starfunker]

FUCKING CLOWNS!...

And I just got my nangerator! How hard are people going to make it to get nangs if this thing blows up!?!

 

[goa]

i really hope there's not going to be any restrictions on nangs now

 

[chugs]

i don't know why everyone is jumping to the conclusion that it was done on purpose. What evidence suggests that contention?

It could have easily been a car full of munted idiots with a take of nitrous that was damaged. Before they know it there passing out with the driving managing to stop the car and passing out....stranger things have happened before

eitherway i don't think all the facts have emerged for anyone to start putting them down

 

[Splatt]

Way to end your comedown bulbs...