Smoke hoods recalled, may have been incorrectly bought to protect against chemical weapons

Wednesday, June 12th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

WASHINGTON (AP) _ A Canadian company is recalling about 27,400 emergency smoke hoods because they may have been purchased for the wrong reasons such as providing protection against tear gas or chemical weapons.

Brookdale International Systems Inc., of Vancouver, British Colombia, has received no reports of incidents or injuries and is issuing the recall as a precaution, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said Wednesday.

The EVAC-U8 emergency escape smoke hoods are intended as single-use, personal safety devices that provide temporary protection from smoke in the event of a fire.

Consumers who purchased the EVAC-U8 for protection from tear gas and chemical warfare agents may return the product to the company for a refund.

The hoods come in a bright green plastic cylinder that is about 5-inches tall with a clear red top. ``EVAC-U8 Emergency Escape Smoke Hood'' is printed on the cylinder along with the serial number and expiration date. Recalled smoke hoods have a serial number of A97,921 or higher, and an expiration date of May 1, 2002, or later.

Web sites, catalogs and travel stores sold these smoke hoods from May 1997 through April 2002 for about $70.

For more information, consumers can contact Brookdale International Systems toll-free at 1-800-459-3822 between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. PDT Monday through Friday.