The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced that Mealane Corp. of Philadelphia is voluntarily recalling up to 1 million Star brand fire sprinklers manufactured from 1961 through 1976. The former Star Sprinkler Co. of Philadelphia sold its assets and changed its name to Mealane Corp. in June 1976.

The cpsc says that these sprinklers could fail in a fire, exposing the public to injury or death. These sprinklers have been installed nationwide, primarily in nursing homes, and they also might be found in hospitals, schools, resorts, stores, office buildings, warehouses and supermarkets, according to the cpsc.

The cpsc reports that 67% of the sprinklers which were removed from locations across the country and submitted for testing to independent testing laboratories failed to activate as they should have. The cpsc has received one report of a Star sprinkler allegedly not functioning in a bedroom fire in a nursing home.

The sprinklers being recalled are dry-type models D-1, RD-1, RE-1, E-1 and ME-1. "Star" appears on the unit, along with the model number and manufacture date.

The cpsc says that consumers should determine whether their facilities contain these recalled sprinklers and, if so, call the Star Sprinkler Recall Hotline at 800-866-7807 or access the Web site at . Mealane will provide free replacement heads and reimbursement for the labor costs of removing and replacing the old units.