No One Reported Injured or Giggling After 'Laughing Gas' Accident at Belfast Chemical Plant

DUBLIN, Ireland —  An accident in a chemical plant Friday created a frightening-looking cloud of "laughing gas," government and emergency officials said. Nobody was reported to be injured — or to be giggling uncontrollably.

The Northern Ireland Department of the Environment said workers at Albion Chemicals Ltd. poured nitric acid into a disposal container that was contaminated, causing a reaction that produced plumes of nitrous oxide.

The gas, inhaled as an analgesic, has been known since the late 18th century as "laughing gas." It has a range of medical and industrial uses and is not toxic.