HSE warns festival-goers about dangers of 'laughing gas'
The HSE is warning people of the dangers of "laughing gas".
A growing trend is starting to emerge of young people inhaling the gas through a balloon.
The HSE says Irish tourists may have come in contact with nitrous oxide while in Europe or Asia.
It is available in nightclubs in the Netherlands and is inhaled using a balloon.
Following a survey from the summer of last year, the HSE has found it is an emerging trend among young Irish festival-goers.
Cartridges of the gas can be bought online for €8 and some retailers sell them as a propellant for whipped cream dispensers.
However, people are being warned if they use them they could die from suffocation and that frequent use can lead to blood cell problems.
The HSE says due to to their rise in popularity it will work to reduce the harms of the product in its festival campaign for 2020.
