Victorian family Adele and Alex Rae issue an urgent warning after their Samsung fridge turned toxic

A young Australian family claims their fridge made them seriously ill after it developed a coolant leak.

Adele and Alex Rae, from Victoria's Gippsland region, said they noticed a strange chemical-like smell coming from their 2019 model Samsung fridge on the morning of May 19 this year. 

'Straight away there were alarm bells because there was something wrong about the smell,' Mr Rae told Nine News.

The pair, who also have two toddlers, decided to unload the contents from the fridge and take it outside after feeling a 'tingling and numbness' in their mouths. 

Ms Rae transferred out the groceries and said that after working for a while in close proximity to the appliance, she felt dizzy.

While Mr Rae carted the fridge outside she decided to take a shower as a precaution but collapsed in the bathroom and an ambulance had to be called. 

'I've never experienced anything like it... I had rapid breathing and my muscles went weak,' she said.

Paramedics placed a hazardous material alert on the Paradise Beach home while they treated Ms Rae. 

She said they stabilised her and explained she would 'detox' as long as she kept away from the source of the chemical and was breathing clean air.

The couple later called an independent fridge technician from Coast Appliances who did an inspection, found several issues and deemed it non-compliant for safety reasons. 

Among the issues, the technician found refrigerant and lubricating oil was leaking. 

Professor Gary Anderson from the University of Melbourne's Lung Health Research Centre said the refrigerant chemical, isobutane, is common in all fridges and generally considered safe.

But he added prolonged exposure could cause 'fogginess' and, in large amounts, cause a person to pass out. 

The couple contacted Samsung who offered to refund $974 for the fridge but stipulated there would be no admission of a product fault and they would be required to sign a legal document preventing them from speaking about it. 

That agreement would also have seen the fridge sent back to Samsung and release the company from any legal claims the Raes might have down the track.

The couple have not accepted the offer and alleged it is a form of 'bullying'.

They instead made a formal complaint with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) which is looking into the issue.

The Rae's fridge is a 2019 model Samsung SR520BLSTC, which does not have any recall listed on the government's product recall database.

Samsung said it had attempted to inspect the fridge.

'Samsung Electronics Australia is compliant with all applicable consumer laws and regulations; and views Mr Rae's allegations with utmost severity having made multiple attempts with Mr Rae to investigate the matter,' a Samsung spokesperson said.

'However Mr Rae has remained unwilling to provide us with access to the refrigerator to investigate or provide supporting evidence of the allegations made despite a full refund being offered.'

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Samsung Australia for further comment.