Dr. Schulz weighs in on health risks of use.
Link to Article: Do Ammonia Salts Pose a Health Risk for Hockey Players?
Hockey Quebec has banned the use of smelling salts, at least until the end of the season, after two minor league coaches were found to have given the ammonia-based inhalants to players aged 10 and 11 years, according to multiple reports in Canadian media.
The coaches are now suspended, and Hockey Quebec’s General Manager Stéphane Auger said that the organization plans to develop rules and a policy on the use of the product by next season.
He noted that Hockey Quebec is banning the use of ammonia and ammonium salts in federated activities, even though these substances are not considered doping products by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
In fact, smelling salts are marketed to athletes as an “energy boost,” and they’re a “common sight on the benches of National Hockey League teams,” according to CBC News.
What’s the harm?
Brian Schulz, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Orthopedics in Los Angeles and team physician for the Anaheim Ducks, a professional hockey team also based in California, said he has occasionally seen US National Hockey League players use smelling salts before a game. “But I would not say that it is commonly used on a professional level,” he told Medscape Medical News.
“If there was a serious issue with youth athletes using them or being encouraged to use them, then perhaps [Hockey Quebec’s] ban is appropriate,” he said. “There is no specific clinical or performative benefit, and any risk is unnecessary.”
In addition to irritating or burning the skin and eyes, smelling salts “could trigger bronchospasm in someone with a preexisting medical condition like asthma,” he noted. “As a medical professional, I personally would not use them for any medical situation —even if someone fainted, which is the most common use.”
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