A young Australian family claims their refrigerator made them seriously ill after it developed a refrigerant leak.
Adele and Alex Rae, from the Gippsland region of Victoria, said they noticed a strange chemical smell coming from their 2019 model Samsung fridge on the morning of May 19 this year.
“Alarm bells immediately went off because there was something strange about the smell,” Rae said. Nine news.
The couple, who also have two young children, decided to unload the contents of the fridge and take it outside after feeling a “tingling and numbness” in their mouth.
Ms. Rae unloaded the groceries and said that after working near the appliance for a while, she felt dizzy.
While Mr Rae was unloading the fridge, he decided to take a precautionary shower but collapsed in the bathroom and an ambulance had to be called.
“I had never experienced anything like this… My breathing was rapid and my muscles were weak,” he said.
Paramedics placed a hazardous material alert at the Paradise Beach home as they treated Ms Rae.
Young parents Adele and Alex Rae took their fridge outside after noticing a “chemical” smell one morning. Ms Rae later collapsed in the shower and had to be treated by paramedics.
Rae’s refrigerator is a 2019 Samsung model SR520BLSTC, which does not have any recalls listed in the government’s product recall database.
She said she was stabilized and told she would “detox” as long as she stayed away from the source of the chemical and breathed clean air.
The couple then called an independent refrigerator technician from Coast Appliances, who conducted an inspection, found several problems and deemed it non-compliant for safety reasons.
Among the problems, the technician found that there were leaks of coolant and lubricating oil.
Professor Gary Anderson, from the University of Melbourne’s Lung Health Research Centre, said the refrigerant chemical isobutane is common in all refrigerators and is generally considered safe.
But he added that prolonged exposure could cause confusion and, in large amounts, cause a person to faint.
The couple contacted Samsung, who offered to refund them $974 for the refrigerator, but stipulated that there would be no admission of product failure and that they would be required to sign a legal document preventing them from speaking out about the issue.
That settlement would also have seen the refrigerator returned to Samsung and would release the company from any legal claims the Raes might have in the future.
The couple has not accepted the offer and has claimed that it is a form of bullying.
Instead, they filed a formal complaint with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), which is investigating the matter.
Rae’s refrigerator is a 2019 Samsung model SR520BLSTC, which does not have any recalls listed in the government’s product recall database.
Samsung said it had attempted to inspect the refrigerator.
“Samsung Electronics Australia complies with all applicable consumer laws and regulations and views Mr Rae’s allegations with the utmost severity, having made multiple attempts with Mr Rae to investigate the matter,” a Samsung spokesperson said.
‘However, Mr Rae has refused to provide us with access to the fridge to investigate or provide evidence to support the allegations made despite being offered a full refund.’
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Samsung Australia for further comment.
