Inhaling whipped cream gas - seems innocent, but there is an immediate danger • Parents, pay attention!

(live here, they keep the youth) - Teenagers discovered that there is a type of laughing gas in the foam gas canisters. The gas is sold as an off the shelf product, without any restrictions and the youth use it as a kind of drug. Here you can get to know the subject and also the dangers involved in the use of this gas by the youth.

The article first appeared in Hai Pa in October 2022 and is appearing again now due to the relevance of the topic even these days. The phenomenon of teenagers inhaling gas foams and putting themselves in danger is gaining momentum, especially in this period, when they enjoy plenty of free time, which is often a breeding ground for dangers.

Dr. Ophir Levon, Director of the Pharmacology and Clinical Toxicology Unit at the Carmel Medical Center, and Chairman of the Israeli Society of Toxicology, believes that the youth's misuse of foam gas should not be ignored. Shani Roth Capon, who works as a coach with teenagers, takes part in the parents patrol in Kiryat Haim. Capon found teenagers smoking foam gas, and the parents sleeping peacefully at home and not knowing anything.

Shani Capon Roth says to Lahi Pa:
"We patrol on weekends at unusual hours and meet teenagers in all kinds of situations. If something seems out of order to us, we offer water, talk to the boys, calm them down as much as possible, and sometimes, when there is no cooperation, we look for creative solutions.

There are times when we think about the parents at home, that a few hours ago the teenager said hello and left the house and the parents have no idea what their teenager is doing in playgrounds/parks.
It's been a long time since the whipping gas has been making headlines, but no one is doing anything about it in terms of the law.
Recently, I uploaded videos and photos to social networks, in order to raise awareness among parents. From the responses I received, it became clear to me that the parents are not aware of the use that the children make of gas. In addition, we receive inquiries from parents who wish to join us on the patrol and the reason - to better understand the world of youth."

What is whipped cream anyway?

Dr. Ofir Levon, from the clinical pharmacology and toxicology unit at Carmel Hospital in Haifa, explains that this is laughing gas that should be used to make whipped cream. This is where the gas gets its name - kasfat gas.

Basically, it is a compressed laughing gas, whose function is to whip up sweet cream. In order to whip the whipped cream, you need to purchase small metal containers of 10 cm in size. The use of the whipping devices is usually among professional bakers. There is a professional device that produces whipped cream with the help of gas pressure. The balloons are bought professionally in order to make the whipped cream. The bottle is closed And enables the whipping. The teenagers use these containers for their own purposes.

How do the youth use these containers?

People take the small containers and peck them. They transfer the contents (gas) into a balloon and breathe what is in the balloon. It is not possible to breathe directly from the tank itself as it may cause a burn. When breathing from the balloon, this does not happen.

There is a substance in the tank under high pressure and there are those who are injured just by taking this substance out of the tank. There is laughing gas inside, which is hard to get in other ways. It's not easy to go and get laughing gas from dental clinics, so the teenagers come to the containers, which are apparently sold to make whipped cream, hence the name. There is no law regarding these containers, it is not something that is against the law, so it is difficult to prevent the sale of the containers.

What do you mean? When these containers are sold to teenagers does anyone think they are making whipped cream with it?

of course not!
Anyone who sells these explosive containers together with a knocker, which is used to open the containers and remove the gas, knows that this is problematic. We are trying to stop the phenomenon by limiting the amount of containers that are sold and restricting young people from purchasing it. In addition, they are trying to set a time, starting from which it is impossible to purchase the containers at all and certainly it is impossible to purchase both the containers and alcohol. Part of the challenge for law enforcement is how to make it illegal, when in fact there is an option to do something legal with it.

How does whipping gas affect those who breathe it?

The effect of each container is such a "hey" feeling, a blur.
The risk is that those who breathe the foam gas may fall or get injured, lose their balance. If you breathe it for a long time, you may cause yourself to suffocate, because there is no oxygen here.

You have to separate the effects on the body, between those who do it once or once in a while, compared to what happens to those who are addicted and breathe air conditioner gas every day. Those who use it regularly may cause themselves irreversible damage. The damage is to the white matter of the nerves in the brain. Another secondary phenomenon, for those who breathe the gas regularly, is that it lowers vitamin B12, and this results in a disease of the nerve endings. It may also cause hearing problems. This is a very unusual situation of prolonged use.

Danger to yourself and your surroundings

There are reports of people starting with obsessive use of this thing and ending up with daily use. The effect starts in a few seconds. There is almost no normal air in the balloon, only the gas. It gives a feeling of euphoria for just a few minutes. Those who want to feel this sensation for a long time, have to breathe it again and again and this is really abusing your body.

Today it is more photographed and more found in our social networks. There have been a few deaths worldwide that have been reported. There are also certain risks because you are confused after this breath, and you may endanger yourself and those around you.

Is it possible to really get addicted to whipped cream?

It is possible to become addicted to it and also to a state of dependence. Dependence is the feeling that I need something, in the morning for example. Addiction means that all my thoughts throughout the day revolve around getting the substance, which is true of any drug. There is an addictive risk, mainly behavioral.

Beyond the personal risk, there is a shift of the population to behavior that is not normal. The state is now looking for a way to make it illegal. We need a definition that would make it criminal.

What do you suggest parents do?

It is difficult for the parents to know that the child has breathed foam gas. After a while, the child returns to normal. This is true of most drugs. You can see the behavior of the youth, that they are starting to do dangerous things. It is more difficult to identify the substance in the blood, since it is a gas. The way to find out that foam gas is being used is by finding the containers. These containers don't go away. In playgrounds you see young people making noise and after that you see balloons and containers left on the floor.

In young people there is a lack of maturity. If you look at the general system, you see that at the age of 25-27 you reach the peak of personal development. All drugs, from cannabis and north affect the development of the nervous system. It's not about the size of the child, it's the nervous system, which is still under construction and can be affected much more than older people.

Do you see teenagers in the emergency room, who arrive after they have taken whipped cream?

In Israel, we do not have a very strict record of what happens to those who arrive at a hospital.
Most of those who come to emergency rooms, it is difficult for us to identify the drugs that come with them. In the hospitals, our ability to do drug tests is very limited. In the day-to-day routine, tests are not done in emergency rooms. When there is a suspicion of what is called semi-rape, we do try to do an examination through Sheba Hospital. Here too, very few tests are done each year. There are much more accurate ways to detect drugs in the blood.

Our goal is to understand what is happening in the country not only at the level of the individual person. It is important to understand what teenagers do, not just to know what this or that child did. Someone may have arrived confused, but not all doctors understand and have awareness on the subject. There is, of course, a department at Rambam where I did an internship, but many doctors are not available on the subject.

Many people think that these are light drugs, which do not harm health. Do you agree with them?

It is very important to understand what happens to the bodies of the teenagers, when they put all kinds of seemingly "light" drugs into their bodies.

There is a trend, where people show on social media that they are taking helium gas. It doesn't sculpt them, so what they do is they suffocate themselves or ask someone to suffocate them. When a person is suffocated and he passes out in a moment, it sends endorphins to the brain, and then they take a picture of it. It is understandable that there is a real risk to life here, because if you suffocate too much, you die. If you breathe cooking gas. It's suffocating, but it doesn't kill.

Young people don't always know how to manage the risk, so there should be information. Of course, the enforcement is against those who sell explosions, they are not looking for the children, but the dealers.

People do not know the dangers of alcohol, cannabis and other drugs. There is also a difference between drinking at an event or actually getting drunk. Even at the communication level, it is very important to convey the information in a matter-of-fact and simple manner.

People don't always know what they put into their bodies and how it might affect them

There is a group of substances that can be smoked, which are supposed to make people hallucinate. It is a very broad spectrum that allows imitation of rituals in the third world. There is a chemical effect on the brain here. The reality is that you buy materials, but you don't know exactly what is in that material. What people don't understand is that there is no way to know what's inside. We saw substances that people smoked, that were mixed with rat poison, 4 got rid of it, and everyone thought it was cannabis.

There are very dangerous substances, there are bacteria and fungi, sometimes the drug that people buy is mixed with medicine. Sometimes people mix the stuff they sell with baking powder. Today you buy a certain material, tomorrow you buy a different material. It could be that you bought a material and what you think you bought is a different material altogether.

People don't understand that they are looking to sell them material as cheaply as possible, so it is impossible to know at all what they are buying. You may buy and smoke a substance that will stimulate your blood and cause breathing problems, and you will find yourself in a very difficult situation, even though you thought you were buying a light drug. People need to understand that even if they have a goal, it may end up completely differently. Even those who think there is a way to make it legal, as soon as it is legal there will be a takeover by criminal elements.

The issue of addiction may happen to both legitimate things and drugs. The danger here is more immediate because it works directly on the body. It is important that there be explanations in schools, teenagers need to know what they are putting in their bodies and what the dangers are that accompany it. I see that the media is not busy with this, and it is a great shame that it is not considered important enough.

Hila Laufer, a member of the city council, said in response to Hai Fe:

A very disturbing and worrying phenomenon. I see these vials thrown in every corner and it is clear to me that these vials were used by children and teenagers. It is not clear to me how it is possible to sell them without hindrance and to anyone who wants them. As a mother I am very concerned and call on all parents to explain to their children the danger of using foam gas. Already in December 2021, I demanded that the mayor raise the issue in the education committee so that we can discuss it and think about ways to open up the worrisome issue, we will think about developing a broad information program in schools regarding the replacement of this drug and others, and I call it that because it is a drug for everything. There are many parents who don't even know what whipped cream gas is! Unfortunately, I was informed that they refuse to raise the issue. I again submitted a demand to raise the issue in the education committee that will be held in about two weeks, so far I have not been answered.
I expect the police and the state to do their job and start seriously dealing with the whole issue of these drug substitutes that are distributed in a different version every time.
I expect the mayor to take this issue extremely seriously because enforcement alone is not enough and the Haifa education system must mobilize and deal with the issue and not close our eyes and expect it to disappear on its own.
The children are now experiencing the crisis following the many months that they sat at home during the Corona period, the violence reared its head and their distress is great, the Corona hysteria may have passed but now we are dealing with the damage it left behind on girls and the youth.