Health Canada issues recall of portable radon metre

Product: Elifecity Portable Radon Meter

Issue: Consumer products - Chemical hazard

What to do: Immediately stop using the product and dispose of it in accordance with the applicable transportation and waste requirements for electronic products.

Affected products

This alert involved the following product:

• Elifecity Portable Radon Meter

The product is a portable, battery powered, radon meter advertised for long and short term home radon monitoring. It was sold on Amazon.ca and potentially through other online websites. 

Issue

Health Canada’s Consumer Product Safety Program found that the product poses a health and safety risk to consumers. The product was sold as real-time radon monitor, but reports a low value regardless of the actual radon level (with errors greater than 90%). This false reading misleads Canadians who are trying to assess whether or not their homes exceeds the national guidelines for radon. This may lead to continued exposure to radon and possible adverse health consequences.  

Radon is a radioactive gas that comes from the breakdown of uranium in soil and rock. It is invisible, odourless and tasteless. When radon is released from the ground into the outdoor air, it is diluted and is not a concern. However, in enclosed spaces, like homes, it can accumulate to high levels and become a risk to the health of you and your family. The current Canadian guideline for indoor air radon levels is 200 Becquerel per cubic meter (Bq/m3).

What you should do

Consumers who have this product should immediately stop using it, and dispose of it in accordance with the applicable transportation and waste requirements for electronic products.

Consumers should only purchase radon test kits that are approved/certified by the Canadian National Radon Proficiency Program (C-NRPP), a Canadian radon certification program operated by the Canadian Association of Radon Scientists & Technologists (CARST) with oversight by Health Canada.