At the Milipol trade fair, which is being held in Paris from November 18 to 21, the Aix-based company Olythe is presenting visitors with OCIN₂O, a device capable of detecting nitrous oxide in exhaled air. A technological feat given that this euphoric gas, widely consumed among young people, is normally eliminated from the body in less than thirty minutes.
A detector to identify nitrous oxide up to five hours after inhalation
Guillaume Nesa, founder of Olythe, summarizes its use with simplicity on France info : “Just blow for a few seconds. We then have a result to know whether or not there is nitrous oxide. It is a kind of breathalyzer”. Since the death of Mathis, 19, struck in early November by a driver who inhaled nitrous oxide, interest in this portable test has exploded.
Indeed, nitrous oxide becomes undetectable very quickly via usual analyses, which complicates any form of roadside screening. OCIN₂O is a game changer thanks to miniaturized infrared spectroscopy. According to Guillaume Nesa, “oIt can be detected for five hours in exhaled air. It is also possible to confirm the consumption of nitrous oxide via a blood test, but the analysis window is narrow due to the fact that the gas disappears quickly.
Belgium and Denmark are already using it in field tests. In France, the police are very interested, particularly following the recent and increasing number of accidents linked to laughing gas.
© olythe
The risks of nitrous oxide: what Dr Gérald Kierzek points out
Laughing gas is not harmless, and severe poisonings are increasing. Dr Gérald Kierzek, emergency doctor and medical director of True Medical, recalls its major dangers.
“When directly inhaled, asphyxiation is a major risk, as the pure gas deprives the brain of oxygen and can lead to loss of consciousness followed by cardiorespiratory arrest. In the event of massive consumption, respiratory depression may occur, as the gas can “sleep” the respiratory center in the brain.” he explains first of all.
The disorienting effect can also cause violent falls causing serious head trauma. Finally, he insists on a point that has become central in public debates: ““Driving after inhaling protoxide is extremely dangerous and has caused fatal accidents.”
Risks that are currently impossible for law enforcement to detect, hence the interest in this new tester.
Law enforcement seduced, but there is a legal void in France
Since the opening of the show, the Olythe prototype has attracted French police and gendarmes. Everyone already imagines being able to carry out checks as simply as for alcohol or cannabis. But in France, no text currently authorizes these screenings.
Guillaume Nesa explains it clearly: “The problem for law enforcement is that you need a legal regulatory context to be able to do this type of test. And today, there is not much.”
The company is also working on the development of an immobilizer system preventing the use of a vehicle in the event of a positive detection. The future of this system could depend on the texts currently being examined in Parliament, in particular those aimed at creating an offense of road homicide.