Health Canada has issued a recall for smoke detectors sold on Amazon that they say could fail in the case of a fire.
Health Canada, the federal department of the Government of Canada responsible for helping Canadians maintain and improve their health, reports that IQYEF Combined Smoke, Combustible Gas and Carbon Monoxide Alarm previously available on Amazon Canada, may not operate as required in emergency conditions, raising concerns about its reliability in life-safety situations where early warning is critical.
Officials say that those with the alarms should immediately stop using them and dispose of them according to municipal hazardous waste guidelines.
The recall applies to model numbers HD11 and HD11-CGS. The model number can be found on both the product packaging and the back label of the device, making it possible for consumers to easily identify whether their unit is affected.
What’s the issue?
Testing conducted by Health Canada found that the product may not meet the Residential Detectors Regulations in Canada. These regulations require smoke detectors, heat-activated fire detectors, and smoke alarms in the country to meet certain standards to ensure they will work efficiently in case of a fire.
The IQYEF product does not have a Canadian certification, and it is unknown if the alarm operates in the presence of smoke or fire, posing a potential fire hazard.
Officials say the product has been removed from Amazon, but while the health authority has attempted to contact the foreign third-party seller, the vendor has been unresponsive to requests to voluntarily recal the alarml.
As of May 4, Amazon reported that 7,296 of the alarms had been sold across Canada, but no incidents or injuries related to these products have been reported to date.
