Counterfeit air freshener warning in Manchester

Manchester City Council Trading Standards Service is warning consumers to look out for counterfeit auto-spray air freshener refills that may potentially be dangerous.

Several hundred counterfeit Air Wick Max Freshmatic refills have been seized by trading standards officers from a wholesaler in Cheetham Hill. Tests commissioned by the manufacturer of genuine Air Wick refills found some of the counterfeit products to contain an excessive amount of methanol.

Inhaling high levels of methanol can be potentially dangerous and may cause headaches, nausea and even loss of consciousness. Tests also revealed an indication of leakage in some of the counterfeit refills, which could pose a risk to those handling them.

The counterfeit containers can be easily identified. Unlike genuine Air Wick refills the label does not go all the way around the can, leaving a silver strip down one side of the refill.

If consumers have purchased, or suspect they have purchased, any of the counterfeit items they must stop using them immediately and should contact their local Trading Standards Service with details of where they purchased them - they must not be stored by a heat source.

Councillor Nigel Murphy, Manchester City Council's Executive Member for the Environment, "I would like to praise Trading Standard Services for acting swiftly to seize these potentially dangerous products. I would also like to warn Manchester residents to be on their guard when buying Air Wick refills, ensuring they buy genuine products from reputable retailers."