About 1.7million air conditioners have been recalled in the US over concerns that they could harbour mold.
Midea voluntarily recalled its popular U and U+ Window air conditioners on Thursday because ‘pooled water in the air conditioners can fail to drain quickly enough, which can lead to mold growth’, stated a notice from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
The company has received at least 152 reports of mold in air conditioners, according to the independent federal regulatory agency responsible for protecting people from getting injured by consumer products.
In 17 cases, customers reported experiencing symptoms including allergic reactions, respiratory infections, sore throats, coughing and sneezing, related to exposure to mold.
The air conditioners are made to fit in windows and measure roughly 22 inches wide by 14 inches high.
They were sold from March 2020 to May of this year. They were sold in cooling power sizes of 8,000, 10,000 and 12,000 BTU (British Thermal Unit), and were priced from $280 to $500.
The air conditioners were sold under numerous brand names. Mildea has 17 model numbers under the recall, Comfort Aire has three, Danby has three, Frigidaire has three, Insignia has two, Keystone has three, LBG products has one, Mr. Cool has three and Perfect Aire has three and Sea Breeze has four. The model numbers can be found on the CPSC announcement.
They were sold by major retailers including Best Buy, Costco, Home Depot and Menards, and online through Mildea.com, Amazon, Best Buy, Costco, Lowes, Home Depot, Walmart, Menards and BJs.
Customers with the affected items should contact Midea immediately for a free repair or a refund based on purchase date or manufacture date. Those seeking a refund must submit a photo showing that they cut the unplugged power cord.
The units were manufactured in China and Thailand and imported by the New Jersey-based company. Mildea has also recalled 45,900 units sold in Canada.
‘Mold exposure poses risks of respiratory issues or other infections to some consumers,’ stated the CPSC.
It came the same day that DR Power Equipment recalled about 7,100 of its battery-powered chainsaws sold in the US after receiving 20 reports of fire and burn incidents.
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