Smelling salts found in child's Halloween candy trigger investigation by Victoria police

Victoria police are investigating after smelling salts were found in a child's Halloween candy. 

Police say they were called Sunday at 6:30 p.m. in Esquimalt, B.C., for a report of a suspicious item in a child's trick-or-treat haul. A parent had found an ammonia inhalant, also known as smelling salts, officers said.

The family had trick-or-treated on the 900-block of Arm Street and the 700-block of Selkirk Avenue the previous night, police said. 

Smelling salts, which trigger an inhalation reflex, are often used on athletes to make them more alert. They can be harmful when ingested in large doses or inhaled for prolonged periods. 

Police are asking anyone who trick-or-treated in the area to review their child's candy for suspicious items.

They say anyone who finds a similar item should remove it and call Victoria police's non-emergency line at 250-995-7654.