--- title: "Government Warns That Amazon Smoke Detector Doesn’t Detect Smoke" description: "Where There's Smoke The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), a federal watchdog, is warning customers that some combination smoke and carbon monoxide detectors being sold on Amazon are absolutely terrible at alerting consumers that their homes are on fire. In other words, the e-commerce giant is selling smoke detectors that can't reliably detect smoke […]" date: "2023-05-19" modified: "2023-05-19" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/government-warns-amazon-smoke-detector-doesnt-work" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "Amazon" - "safety standards" - "smoke detectors" - "the digest" --- # Government Warns That Amazon Smoke Detector Doesn’t Detect Smoke ![A federal watchdog is warning customers that some combination smoke and carbon monoxide detectors being sold on Amazon don't work.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Fire Sale The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), a federal watchdog, is [warning]() customers that certain combination smoke and carbon monoxide detectors being sold on Amazon are absolutely terrible at alerting consumers that their homes are on fire. In other words, the e-commerce giant is selling smoke detectors that can't reliably detect smoke — an astoundingly troubling finding that could put consumers at great risk. The brand in question was selling the battery-powered safety devices for around $46 a pop, according to the CPSC. Fortunately, Amazon appears to have already intervened and a quick search on the platform of the brand now offers up no results. Besides, the brand's letter salad name itself should've made anybody think twice about pulling the trigger. "I'm positively shocked that a product made by the long-trusted, loyalty-inducing, stalwart brand 'BQQZHZ' turns out to be a dangerous piece of garbage,"[quipped]() *Consumer Reports* investigative reporter Lauren Kirchner. ## No Smoking The incident demonstrates the very real risks Amazon exposes its customers to. Experts [have long warned]() that the retailer has been selling thousands of banned and unsafe products, making it a dangerous flea market of mindboggling proportions. A 2019 [investigation]() by *The Wall Street Journal* found over 4,000 items for sale that had been declared unsafe, deceptively labeled, or outright banned. At least half of them were toys or medications that lacked the necessary warning labels. In 2021, the CPSC [sued Amazon]() in an attempt to stop it from allowing third parties of selling hazardous products to its customers. Among those products were children's pajamas that could catch on fire, hair dryers that could electrocute you if they were dropped in water — and, of course, dysfunctional carbon monoxide detectors. As a response, Amazon simply removed the listings in question. Unfortunately, the CPSC only has [limited powers]() to order any recalls itself, and going to court is a costly endeavor. But putting public pressure has already worked out for the watchdog as a strategy in the past. In 2021, fitness brand Peloton [refused to recall]() its treadmills in light of reports that they could be dangerous to children. After the CPSC [released a graphic video]() of a child being sucked underneath a Peloton treadmill to up the pressure on the stationary bike brand, though, the company eventually gave in and [ordered a recall](). **More on Amazon:** *[Amazon Is Being Flooded With Books Entirely Written by AI]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()