Health. When nitrous oxide consumption causes explosions in waste incinerators

Explosions of nitrous oxide cylinders, or "laughing gas," are increasing in incinerators, a consequence of rising recreational use, waste treatment professionals lamented this Thursday. This gas is normally used in cooking, for example in whipped cream whippers. But it is also being used recreationally, particularly among adolescents and young adults, whose neurological consequences can be serious and long-lasting. Poisonings linked to this misuse are on the rise, health authorities reported last April.

"The number of explosions recorded in the first half of 2025 already exceeds that observed for the whole of 2024, confirming the continued worsening of this problem," the National Union for the Treatment and Recovery of Urban and Similar Waste (SVDU) said in a press release. So much so that the phenomenon has become "the primary source of unavailability in household waste treatment," as well as a "growing threat to facilities and their operators," according to the SVDU.

France's fleet of some 110 incinerators experienced some "250 shutdowns related to nitrous oxide cylinder explosions" in the first half of 2025, SVDU president Grégory Richet told AFP. This is the same number as for the whole of 2024, which was already triple the number for 2022, he said. This increase can be explained, according to Richet, by both the increase in "the frequency of explosions" and their intensity, with increasingly large cylinders. He estimates the financial consequences for professionals at around €30 to €40 million for 2025.

To stem the phenomenon, professionals are calling for the installation of a safety valve on cylinders across Europe and a ban on sales to individuals across the EU. In France, senators voted in March to criminalize the misuse of nitrous oxide, but without going so far as to completely ban its sale to individuals as MPs had previously done. The future of the legislation will depend on negotiations between the two chambers, where two competing texts are currently being examined. "These incidents pose a serious threat to the safety of operating personnel, with a high risk of serious injuries," emphasize the professionals, who are calling for public awareness campaigns.