A batch of watches, sold in France under the brand name "Trophy", have been contaminated with radioactivity, the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland has warned.
The institute has advised anyone who bought a Hong Kong-made "Trophy" watch since the beginning of September this year to contact it, so the watch can be tested for radioactivity.
The watches were sold by the French supermarket chain, Carrefour, and it is possible that Irish holidaymakers may have purchased one and brought it into this State.
Ms Marie Kelly, an RPI spokeswoman, said the amount of radioactivity in each watch did not pose an immediate danger, but it was unnecessarily exposing the wearer to radiation.
The contamination was discovered in November when radiation levels at a French nuclear centre gave an unexpectedly high reading. It emerged that a "Trophy" watch worn by a worker was the source of the radiation.
Tests of over 3,000 watches showed that nearly half of those with the serial number T65007.3 were contaminated.
As the watches were made in Hong Kong, the Chinese authorities have initiated their own inquiry into the source of the contamination.
