Last December, dozens of young hockey players were admitted to hospitals within the Buffalo, New York area, some affected by vomiting, lethargy and headaches.
The skaters were exposed to high carbon monoxide levels in an indoor ice rink, an issue that’s certainly not unusual. Most rinks use ice resurfacing machines – often known by the brand name Zamboni – and edgers, often powered by propane or other fuels. Some use gas-powered heaters above seating areas. Without adequate ventilation, fumes from these machines can construct up high concentrations of toxic gases similar to carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide.
“It's almost like leaving the car running in the garage with the door closed,” said Monica Wallace, a Democratic member of the New York Assembly whose district includes the ice rink where the poisoning incident occurred. “And these are ice rinks that are frequently used by children, where people are breathing heavily when they play.”
While the young skaters in New York were all recovering, Wallace learned that they were removed from the primary to suffer mass poisoning in an ice arena. Over the past decade, dozens of rink-goers have been hospitalized in similar incidents. Delaware, Illinois, Ohio And Wisconsin. Some state health officials say many more incidents aren't making the news. And as families across the country begin hockey training camps and complete registration for fall leagues, health experts indicate that many rink-goers could also be unknowingly exposed to a smaller exposure that could cause long-term damage.
When Wallace researched previous incidents across the country, she was much more surprised to search out that only three states require their rinks to check air quality and meet certain safety limits.
“It seems pretty surprising that this is such a problem,” she said. “Until it happened in my district, I had no idea.”
Earlier this 12 months, Wallace wrote a The invoice That would require New York City rink owners to observe their air quality. If certain limits are exceeded, they’d must increase ventilation, notify state authorities or evacuate the rink. In many rinks, especially older buildings, ventilation is positioned near the roof of the constructing to stop warmer outside air from getting near the ice surface. But that could cause gases to change into trapped within the ice area in the event that they usually are not extracted by exhaust fans.
The bill is modeled on existing standards in Massachusetts, Minnesota and Rhode Island. Politicians in those states say the regulations have helped reduce emergency cases and ease the long-term burden that could cause respiratory problems similar to asthma.
While some rink owners were initially skeptical of the principles, industry representatives in those states say they’ve learned to play by the principles. Now, they are saying, the standards are a vital framework for making a secure environment for skaters and staff.
“It doesn't help anyone when you see on the evening news that 15 kids are being put in ambulances at a rink,” said Ed Peduto, a board member of the North East Ice Skating Managers Association and general manager of an ice arena in Reading, Massachusetts. “People don't want regulation, but it has made Massachusetts rinks much safer.”
Promoting safety
National rink industry associations already recommend air quality testing and safety limits. They haven’t openly opposed bills like Wallace's that will make the testing mandatory. But the New York bill didn’t advance before the Legislature adjourned this session; Wallace intends to reintroduce the proposal next 12 months. Still, there appears to be little movement on the state or federal level to adopt such rules for the nation's roughly 2,000 rinks.
“I see reports of incidents in various states that suggest that without regulations, there is an increased risk of severe acute poisoning,” said Dan Tranter, head of the Minnesota Department of Health's Indoor Air Unit. “It's a pretty reasonable way to protect public health.”
Minnesota was the primary state to enact air quality regulations for ice rinks in 1973. Over time, test results have shown a decline in carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide levels as rink owners have fixed ventilation problems or switched to electric machines. The state hasn't had a serious hospitalization in greater than 20 years, Tranter said.
Massachusetts adopted its standards in 1997. Suzanne Condon, former deputy commissioner of the state Department of Health, helped draft the regulations. In addition to mass poisonings, state leaders were concerned about high rates of asthma and other respiratory diseases amongst children, citing latest evidence that long-term exposure to lower doses could worsen such problems.
“I remember watching the team bench at school hockey games and almost every other kid was using an inhaler,” she said. “You really want to prevent exposure to prevent disease and ultimately improve kids' lives.”
Current agency officials declined Stateline's request for an interview.
Peduto, the Massachusetts rink manager, said the agency backed up its regulations with a rigorous inspection system that originally angered rink owners. But over time, as they were forced to comply with the regulations, owners began to see improved air quality as a selling point, Peduto said.
“The rink operators in Massachusetts really pride themselves on the air quality of their rinks,” Condon added. “It's been so many years that there hasn't been an incident related to carbon monoxide or nitrogen dioxide. That's proof that it's worked.”
Industry response
Rhode Island has also adopted standards, while Connecticut, New Hampshire and Wisconsin have issued non-binding guidelines. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued detailed guidelines for ice rink operators, but they’re voluntary.
The U.S. Ice Rink Association recommends that its members voluntarily test their air and take corrective motion when certain limits are met. The trade group didn’t reply to a request for comment.
Given the variety of high-profile poisoning cases and the shortage of visible opposition from industry, some politicians are surprised that more states haven’t enacted their very own regulations. Some speculate that that is as a consequence of a lack of knowledge or the proven fact that the issue is proscribed to a single industry.
At least one local government has taken matters into its own hands. About a decade ago, firefighters in Evendale, Ohio, were alarmed by the variety of times they were called to an area ice arena over the course of several years to assist sick skaters.
“We started measuring carbon monoxide whenever we were at the facility and were getting constant alarms,” said Michael Hauck, chief of the village's fire department. “That was the indication that we had a potential problem with the equipment used at the ice arena.”
When local officials looked into the issue, they learned from Ohio health officials that there could be no statewide regulations. In 2017, the council adopted a set of air quality testing requirements and standards modeled on Minnesota's regulations. Shortly after adoption, the ice rink that had sparked firefighters' concerns was discovered to have problems with its ventilation systems. After repairs, air quality improved dramatically.
Eventually, each rinks in town switched to electric ice resurfacers. Officials on the state and native level say they saw many rink owners switch to electric equipment after the testing rules were passed. By switching to models that don't emit exhaust fumes, they’ll get out of the testing rules and save fuel in the long term.
“The rule provides incentives for the switch to electric vehicles,” said Tranter of the Minnesota agency. “Today, it is rare to see a corrective action level, and that has a lot to do with the switch to electric vehicles.”
Originally published:
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