BILL KNIGHT
Long before FOMO became an online acronym, Fear Of Missing Out was a mantra of generations of newspaper editors. That and another cliched journalism truism — “If your mother says she loves you, check it out” — shows why and how some stories are pursued.
It’s always good to know.
But being anxious to not miss something and yearning for verification can lead to “pack journalism” and unjustified coverage. Years ago, I was an environmental reporter, and an editor saw stories about grain-bin explosions and wondered why I wasn’t covering this. He told me to check it out.
I spent a day talking to farmers, the Farm Bureau and a college ag teacher and was told such accidents can result from grain dust in an enclosed space, a spark and oxygen. When I nodded and said that seemed common, one guy looked at me like I had a “We corn blight” ballcap and said “Obviously,” noting that farmers take precautions, and such explosions are less frequent than years ago “no matter what you see on TV.”
My editor said, “Oh,” and shrugged. “Good to know.”
That’s a roundabout way of explaining my response to an incident in Illinois where people at an indoor ice rink were sickened and hospitalized. It seems that ice resurfacing machines and other equipment at indoor ice rinks have been linked to carbon monoxide (CO) risks to skaters or onlookers. I thought this could be an isolated incident unlikely to reoccur, but then found that some states have recognized the safety hazard and are addressing the risk. So, it could be both rare and an early warning.
Five years ago, at Center Ice of DuPage, firefighters found CO levels were more than 200 parts per million and evacuated the rink because CO levels above 70 ppm can cause fatigue, headaches and nausea (and in levels above 150 ppm people can become dizzy, faint or die).
Peoria’s best-known indoor ice rink is the Peoria Civic Center’s, and when contacted, PCC’s Kelsy Martin replied that, “We have not had any issues with air quality at any events with the ice in place. Typically, (such) issues occur in small buildings or spaces with lower roof lines. Our facility benefits from high ceilings and has multiple protective measures in place to ensure air quality. As plans continue to finalize with a new ice plant, we will certainly keep safety top of mind.”
High ceilings alone may not help much, since CO — an odorless, tasteless and colorless gas called the “silent killer” — has a specific gravity of 0.9657 compared to normal air’s 1.0, which means carbon monoxide is “lighter than air” and floats up to the cheap seats.
Elsewhere, the U.S. Ice Rink Association recommends periodic testing of rinks’ air and making necessary adjustments; Connecticut, New Hampshire and Wisconsin have non-binding guidelines on indoor air-quality at ice rinks; and Massachusetts, Minnesota and Rhode Island have relevant state regulations.
State Rep. Ryan Spain (R-73rd Dist.) was contacted about the topic and replied, “I am not familiar with this issue, but would certainly be open to further research and possible legislative action.”
Emily Cahill, the Peoria Park District’s Executive Director of Parks and Recreation, is familiar with the issue and shared how it’s addressed at Owens Ice Center, where there’s a 24-hour air-quality monitor that measures gases.
“We do at least one daily building walk-through with our hand-held, air-quality monitor,” Cahill said, “When the Zamboni goes out, we have an overhead exhaust fan that draws out any potential fumes.”
“Further, the District routinely verifies that the precautions and sensors are functioning. Our risk manager comes in, I believe, monthly and checks air quality and checks that our monitors are working correctly,” Cahill added.
It’s good to know.