Another risk of nitrous oxide trend: fire (Letters)

One other risk of nitrous oxide — fire accelerant

Re: “ A common sight at concerts, nitrous oxide abuse is soaring ,” Aug. 6 news story

I appreciated your in-depth report on the expanding recreational use of nitrous oxide inhalation at Red Rocks and other concert venues. The health hazards were accurately described, as was the ready availability of this ― what some label innocuous ― gas for cheap thrills, just to get that “Whomp-Whomp.”

In the 1970s, at an engineering university, I experienced firsthand parties powered by pilfered cylinders of nitrous oxide, N2O (N-Twenty as we ChemE geeks called it), and can attest that the article overlooked one major hazard. This stuff is a powerful oxidizer that, while not flammable by itself, will accelerate and intensify combustion of rubber bal