Energy-saving LED lights recalled across the country due to safety hazard
TORONTO (CP) - Energy-saving Christmas lights, some of them given away to help people to conserve energy, have been recalled across the country because they pose a possible electrical hazard.
The Canadian Standards Association issued the recall Friday, telling people to stop using the lights, manufactured by Bortex Industry Co. Ltd., due to an electrical problem that “may pose a potential for a shock or fire hazard.”
“A manufacturing defect may cause a malfunction of the light string resulting in overheating and possible melting in the encapsulated area of the light string,” the association said in a release.
The association began investigating the lights after Nova Scotia Power tested the lights and found they sparked and may pose an electrical hazard.
The utility ordered a recall earlier this week of more than 2,000 boxes of the LED lights that were given out at tree-lighting ceremonies around the province in exchange for regular lights that use more electricity.
The products involved were sold between August and December 2005 and were also available at Costco Wholesale warehouse locations across Canada (product Nos. 501701 or 501702), in packs of three boxes.
Costco issued a recall two weeks ago, offering a full refund if they were returned to the store. No other lights sold at Costco Wholesale were affected by the recall.
The affected lights are only those with a little white label attached to the cord that have the model number COD-TL-35 and the date 07/2005. The lights also have a little red CSA label with the number 228296.
There have been no reports of injury or property damage involving the lights, the association said in a release.
Light-emitting diode lights use up to 95 per cent less energy and can last twice as long as fluorescent bulbs, and up to 20 times longer than incandescent bulbs, because they have no filament and generate almost no heat.