Samsonite recalls 250,000 "Tokyo Chic" suitcases in health scare June 19, 2012, 2:16 p.m. Samsonite International is recalling 250,000 "Tokyo Chic" suitcases worldwide to replace handles on the bags after a Hong Kong consumer group found high levels of compounds linked to cancer. The luggage maker said Tuesday that independent tests showed the suitcases posed no health hazard and it was carrying out the recall to allay consumer concerns. Samsonite pulled the line from Hong Kong stores Monday to replace the side handles after the city's Consumer Council reported that a sample it tested had levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons higher than recommended in voluntary guidelines. The compounds are commonly found in plastics, rubber and lubricating oil, and it's possible that traces were left during manufacturing, the council said. They've been known to cause cancer and birth defects in animals. The council's tests gave readings for the compounds that were off the charts at 17,960 milligrams per kilogram. But Samsonite commissioned independent tests from German and Hong Kong laboratories that showed levels were "significantly lower" than the council's findings. Those tests found 17 milligrams per kilogram of the compound, said Ramesh Tainwala, Samsonite's Asia-Pacific and Middle East president.