Effects of Low Concentrations of Nitrous Oxide on Rat Fetuses

Health hazard evaluation report: HETA-94-0227-2448, D. Kurtzman, DDS, Atlanta, Georgia.

“…2,5,8 Some laboratory studies have also shown adverse reproductive effects (smaller litter, increased incidence of fetal resorption and skeletal anomalies) among rats exposed to high (e.g., 1000 ppm or greater) N 2 O concentrations during the early stages of pregnancy. 9 Human studies have reported a higher than expected incidence of spontaneous abortions among female workers directly exposed to N 2 O and other anesthetic gases. 10 Other studies suggest the incidence of congenital abnormalities and spontaneous abortion is slightly higher in the offspring of wives of exposed dentists, as well as reduced fertility in women occupationally exposed.…”

Nitrous oxide – does it still have a place in veterinary anaesthesia?

“…Also, long-term exposure to high concentrations (1000-5000 ppm) has been shown to have teratogenic effects in pregnant rats (Vieira, Cleaton-Jones, Austin, Moyes, and Shaw 1980), although there is currently no information available on the risk to pregnant staff working in operating theatres with poor scavenging. Older studies have linked the use of nitrous oxide to neurological, renal and liver disease and reduced fertility in staff, particularly when working in dental clinics, where the exposure could reach 1000 ppm.…”

Knowledge of Anaesthesia Providers on Exposure to Inhalational Anaesthetic Agents in Ghana

“…Numerous animal studies have been conducted on the carcinogenic and genotoxic effects of inhalational anaesthetic agents but these have failed to prove malignant abnormalities in histological samples as a result of delayed consequence of exposure [10]- [16]. Some studies have shown that the older inhalational agents are potentially carcinogenic whilst the newer inhalational agents are not [11] [17].…”