Hospitals province-wide are being told by Quebec Public Health to halt using a common anasthetic for children due to potential contamination of benzene.
Public Health Director Horatio Arruda issed a notice to hospital after a high concentration of benzene was discovered in canisters of nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas.
Nitrous oxide is often used as an anesthetic in surgery, usually on children.
Benzene is a known carcinogen in high doses, and short-term exposure can cause dizziness, rapid or irregular heartbeat, headaches and tremors.
Canisters of laughing gas were found to contain benzene at the Hôpital de l'Enfant-Jésusin Quebec City, in Roberval hospital centres and in a dental clinic, according to the notice to hospitals from Quebec Public Health. There are also reports Sacré-Coeur in Montreal and a community hospital in the Gaspé have been affected.
Quebec Public Health will update hospitals on Wednesday after looking into the situation further.
In the meantime, both the St-Justine Hospital and McGill University Health Centre are no longer using nitrous oxide in surgeries and are using other anesthetics to put people under. Surgeries at dozens of hospitals have been delayed because of the do-not-use notice.