Alarm bells raised over young P.E.I. hockey players' use of smelling salts as performance boosters
'We're telling our children that it's OK to sniff ammonia,' says concerned grandmother
A grandmother of minor hockey players is campaigning to get smelling salts banned from rinks across Prince Edward Island.
Barbara Brookins has several grandchildren between the ages of nine and 15 playing minor hockey, so she spends a lot of time at rinks.
Recently, she noticed an unusual product available in a vending machine at her home arena in Kensington.
The bottles are labelled as "hockey smelling salts," and it turns out many young players are using the product under the belief that they are performance enhancers.
"Smelling salts are not intended as a performance-enhancing medication [of] any kind, and even if they were, are we really promoting that our children use any type of performance enhancement?" Brookins said.
"We're telling our children that it's OK to sniff ammonia."
Product with a long history
The use of smelling salts to revive people after fainting or otherwise losing consciousness dates back centuries, but today they are marketed toward athletes as an energy boost. They're also a common sight on the benches of National Hockey League teams.
This month, Hockey Quebec banned the use of smelling salts, citing concern over their use by young players. The governing body published a directive stating the ammonia-based inhalants are no longer allowed during games, practices and organized activities.
Health Canada said in a statement that it has not authorized the sale of any ammonia-based health products in the Canadian market for inhalation purposes.
"Inhaling ammonia may pose significant health risks and may quickly lead to coughing, airway constriction, and eye, nose and throat irritation. Health Canada strongly advises consumers to not purchase or use unapproved inhalant products marketed for alertness and energy boosting," the agency's statement said.
"Selling unauthorized health products or making false or misleading claims to prevent, treat or cure illnesses is illegal in Canada."
'These are impressionable kids'
Brookins, who is also a registered nurse and the president of the P.E.I. Nurses' Union, says she was living "in a bubble" until recently when it came to the knowledge that smelling salts were for sale in Island rinks.
She said the product most commonly used by health professionals for its intended purpose is a one-time-use snap capsule. The smelling salts sold in rink vending machines are large, reusable bottles.
"It's not just a little sniff; you can hold it there for an extended period of time. Obviously the risks are higher the longer you're smelling it and the more you're using it," Brookins said.
"These are impressionable kids who are seeing this as being an acceptable practice at the rink, and when you're the one kid in the dressing room who doesn't want to sniff the bottle, the peer pressure that you're going to take is not easy for them."
That's a concern — particularly for those children who may be asthmatic.— Dr. Heather Morrison, P.E.I.'s chief public health officer
Brookins's campaign got the attention of P.E.I.'s chief public health officer and Hockey P.E.I. this week.
Dr. Heather Morrison told CBC News that there is little scientific evidence that smelling salts enhance athletic performance.
She said the CPHO has contacted Hockey P.E.I. to raise awareness about the potential for adverse health effects.
"These smelling salts are really irritants for the mucus membranes in your nose and in your lungs," Morrison said. "That's a concern — particularly for those children who may be asthmatic, for instance. There's also reference that they may mask concussion symptoms."
No policy at the moment
In a statement to CBC News, Hockey P.E.I. said its priority is to provide a safe and healthy environment for participants on and off the ice.
"Although we do not currently have a policy pertaining to stimulant products such as ammonia-based smelling salts, there are concerns with their use when not medically prescribed," the statement reads. "Hockey P.E.I. does not recommend use of these products and caution[s] parents to be aware and informed of the product availability."
Meanwhile, it appears smelling salts won't be welcome back in at least one rink on P.E.I.
A spokesperson for the City of Summerside said in an emailed statement that the products had been available in vending machines at Credit Union Place, but are now sold out. The spokesperson said he was told the supplier won't be restocking the item in the future.
A manager at the Bell Aliant Centre in Charlottetown told CBC News that it doesn't sell smelling salts, nor has it ever.
Health Canada said it has not received any reports of ammonia-based inhalants being sold at arenas in the country, but encouraged people to report incidents through its online complaint form.
It says products approved for sale by Health Canada will have an eight-digit drug identification number, a natural product number or a homeopathic drug number. You can also check whether products have been authorized for sale by searching the drug product database and licensed natural health product database.
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With files from Wayne Thibodeau