Yesterday, we were made aware that some Lidl stores in Greece, including outlets on the islands, would begin selling full-face snorkel masks to the public, including children’s sizes, starting May 21.

We immediately contacted Lidl’s head office, advising them that these masks have been deemed potentially deadly, having been linked to many drownings worldwide, even leading the US government to go so far as to impose a total ban on these masks. The US government directive states, “The mask can cause consumers to experience laboured breathing, causing loss of consciousness or excess fluid in the lungs that can lead to drowning. In addition, the mask can increase carbon dioxide levels, which can exacerbate breathing difficulties. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission urges consumers to stop using the full-face snorkel masks and immediately make them unusable and dispose of them. Do not sell or give away these hazardous full-face snorkel masks”.

There have been a large number of reports of unexplained deaths by drowning around the world involving good swimmers in good health, who have subsequently been found to have been wearing full-face masks, including one death of a male tourist in his thirties last year here on the Aegean island of Thassos.

UPDATE

This morning, May 21, we checked at the Lidl store in Thassos Town, only to find that dozens of the deadly masks are on sale, a large number in children’s sizes!

We confronted the branch manager, and although he understood the severity of the situation, he could only try to talk to his head office.

In frustration and as a last option, we discussed the matter with the local police and emphasised that they may have to deal with drownings this summer, which could so easily have been prevented. They stated that they will investigate.

For further, wide-ranging information on the dangers of these masks, Google “Full-face snorkel mask danger”.