When you hear the word NOS what comes to mind? For most of you it probably is the illegal street racing scene or even the Fast & Furious movie series. NOS is a pressurized non flammable gas that is used to inject a high amount of oxygen into a vehicle to increase speed it is commonly referred to as the poor mans turbo. The word NOS has much more dire meanings to some local folks than a movie or an illegal activity.
NOS has medical applications as stated below:
Mixed with oxygen and used for medical purposes (using tanks and cylinders) nitrous oxide is seen as a safe product to use.
What has parents, doctors and Public Safety official’s concerned in the recreational use of this harmful chemical is the effects it can have on a persons body when used without medical approval and monitoring. The risks are below:
Short term risks can include brain damage, asphyxiation, tissue damage, lung damage, hearing loss, choking and accidents.
Long term risks may include addiction and dependency, spinal chord damage, vitamin B12/folic acid depletion, decreased fertility, decreased immunity to infections, bone marrow damage, and emotional and mental health problems.
Youth abuse this as a drug by filling balloons from pressurized canisters and inhale the substance. It has a growing popularity within the house party element and is hard for Law Enforcement to detect because it doesn’t leave a smoke or other distinct way to detect the drug use. Also training on this drug is just hitting the law enforcement main stream and with cameras and other technology needs taking center stage not many agencies have tasked officer to receive this training.
This tragedy has hit Rialto & the Inland Empire when Councilman Ed Scott’s son fell victim the consequences of this drug when the car he was ridding in was involved in a crash where the driver was found to be under the influence of the NOS chemical.
The main problem is news agencies have been stonewalled but several agencies have now agreed to provide records so we should see more data start to come in. Areas where use is concentrated is areas where teens normally gather and being in a vehicle isn’t suspicious. Some local areas where this NOS use has been seen is Inland Center Mall parking lot, Orange Show Events Center, Ontario Mills & local parks and house parties. Jerry Eaves Park on Ayala Ave in Rialto has been a hot bed of suspicious use and apparent NOS use as in random parking stalls you will find used balloons making you wonder if a random party took place there.
Anthony Ybarra from Inland Empire Youth 4 Today said “Youth are not being taught what this stuff is doing to your body and the risks involved” “Plus more and more adults in youth’s lives are too busy leaving the door open for negative people to get a young persons life and lead them down the wrong road” to reach them click here
http://abc7.com/news/fontana-auto-repair-shop-raided-for-selling-nitrous-oxide-to-minors/961638/
http://www.fade.org.nz/alcohol-and-drug-info/nos/
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/nitrous-505478-oxide-police.html
http://www.examiner.com/article/man-sentenced-death-of-councilman-s-son
rialtonow 