IUBio

Braindamage due to lack of oxygen.

F. Frank LeFever flefever at ix.netcom.com
Mon Mar 29 21:59:21 EST 1999



I stand corrected (I'm no chemist, as you can see!).

Meanwhile, any ideas on the NO angle?

F. LeFever



In <7dn7n3$8oe$1 at oravannahka.Helsinki.FI>
dag.stenberg at helsinki.nospam.fi writes: 
>
>F. Frank LeFever <flefever at ix.netcom.com> wrote:
>> What some people inhale for recreational purposes is, I believe, NO2
>> (not N2O), i.e. nitrous oxide.  I believe there has been some
evidence
>> published that suggestts long-term abuse of this gas may cause brain
>> damage.  I believe tthe interpretation has been that this is due to
>> hypoxia, but it occurs to me that the (as yet little studied)
possible
>> consequence of increased brain levels of NO (nitric oxide) might
also
>> play a role...
>
>Actually N2O, not NO2. It is necessary to mix at least 15% oxygen with
this,
>as hypoxia will otherwise occur. Of course, a short sniff of pure N2O
will
>not create severe hypoxia, and as long as someone takes the pure N2O
away
>in time, there should not be any brain damage. Possible (individual) 
>euphoric effects do not require simultaneous hypoxia.
>
>Dag Stenberg
>




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