ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

More than a million toilet-flushing systems have been recalled in the US after a spate of cistern explosions across North America and Canada.

The explosions relating to the Flushmate II 501-B model led to two dozen injuries, with one customer having to undergo foot surgery after the incident. Property damage to the tune of US$710,000 has also been reported.

The company sold more than 1.4 million of the systems in the US and Canada between 1996 and 2015. Flushmate has so far received 1,446 reports of exploding systems across both countries.

The United States consumer product safety commission has alerted owners that they should stop using the systems immediately. Buyers are also advised to turn off the water supply to the unit before flushing the chain in order to release any internal pressure.

In a recall statement, the commission also said that the defective systems "can burst at or near the vessel weld-seam releasing stored pressure", adding that this could "lift the tank lid and shatter the tank", leading to possible "impact and laceration hazards to consumers and property damage".

This is not the first time that Flushmate's systems have been recalled. The company's Series 503 Flushmate III was recalled in June 2012, January 2014 and July 2016.