Alarm bells raised over young P.E.I. hockey players' use of smelling salts as performance boosters

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." 

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." 

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.