The Japanese retail chain is reviewing the product's compliance with applicable safety standards. - Photo: ST
SINGAPORE: Japanese retail chain Don Don Donki has pulled helium canisters marketed as voice-changers off its shelves here amid a safety review, said Singapore’s consumer watchdog on Friday (Dec 19).
In response to queries from The Straits Times, the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCS) said the chain has voluntarily stopped selling the product and is reviewing its compliance with applicable safety standards.
The canisters, which were on sale for S$19.90 each, were advertised as being able to make users’ voices more high-pitched when inhaled.
Each canister contains an 11.6-litre gas mixture, most of which is helium.
Photos of the product show that it is recommended for use only by consumers above 16 years old. There are also labels warning that rapid inhalation of the gas could result in serious injury, asphyxiation or death.
CCS said that to date, its Consumer Product Safety Office (CPSO) has not received any reports of people feeling unwell after inhaling gas from the canisters.
However, if products are found not to have met applicable safety standards, the CPSO can direct suppliers to stop selling them, the watchdog said.
Suppliers that do not comply with the CPSO’s directions to stop selling non-compliant products could face a fine and/or imprisonment.
As a light and inert gas, helium is commonly used for balloon inflation and to cool down MRI machines.
“Otherwise, helium should not be used without medical supervision, and deaths have been described,” Dr Philip Eng, a senior consultant respiratory physician at Mt Elizabeth Hospital, told The Straits Times.
The effects of helium inhalation are mainly two-fold, Dr Eng said.
Firstly, individuals may experience asphyxiation as the helium replaces oxygen in circulation, resulting in a high and loss of consciousness.
Secondly, in the case of gas pressurised in a canister, rapid inhalation can result in barotrauma, or rupturing of the lungs.
“As it (helium) is tasteless and odourless, one would not realise he is inhaling it,” Dr Eng added.
According to the CPSO’s website, general consumer goods that fall under the Consumer Protection (Consumer Goods Safety Requirements) Regulations in Singapore do not require pre-market approval by the authority.
However, suppliers must still ensure products meet the applicable safety standards of any of these organisations:
- International Organisation for Standardisation;
- International Electrotechnical Commission;
- European Committee for Standardization; or
- ASTM International.
Suppliers should also ensure their products carry sufficient warnings about potential hazards.
ST has contacted Don Don Donki for more information. - The Straits Times/ANN
