Incorrectly disposed of cartridges containing laughing gas, known as a party drug, cause trouble in French waste incineration plants. They can explode if they are not completely emptied. And that can be expensive.
Paris – Cartridges and bottles of laughing gas, which is used as a party drug, are causing problems in French waste incineration plants.
There are always explosions in the incinerators when the incompletely emptied containers are carelessly disposed of with the household waste, reported the newspaper “Le Parisien”. For the repair, the ovens would have to be shut down, said several operators of waste incineration plants. Such an operational shutdown alone costs 50,000 euros, normally the systems are only taken out of service once a year for maintenance lasting several weeks.
Increased use in pandemic
Laughing gas has been abused as a party drug for years, the effect only lasts for a short time, but the health risks are enormous. Especially during the Corona lockdown, the consumption of nitrous oxide in France apparently increased, the waste incinerators concluded from the accumulated problems with empty bottles in the incinerators during this time. Dozens of bottles were also discovered in the mountains of rubbish. Aside from the health risks, the waste incinerators appealed to dispose of the nitrous oxide containers adequately. Chronic consumption can lead to nerve damage and degeneration of the spinal cord, neurologists warn. dpa
