Quick remember has been issued for a portable battery sold on Amazon after consumers reported it ‘expanding, lighting up, melting, heating up or smoking.’
The recall affects approximately 488,000 Charmast Power Banks sold from December 2018 to September 2024 at prices ranging from $14 to $25.
A total of 44 cases of wrongful battery were sent, with four injuries, such as burns and blisters.
‘Sold in black, blue, green, mint, pink and white,’ the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said in the recall, adding that the defect has ‘Model: W1056’ printed on the back.
The notice urges consumers to stop using electronic banking immediately and contact Charmast to find out how to get a full refund.
The CPSC also recognized this Consumers should be careful with their spending of these faulty batteries, regardless of whether or not they are being returned.
‘These potentially dangerous batteries should be handled separately from other batteries,’ the recall warned.
“Do not dispose of this power bank in the trash,” the US CPSC said. ‘Do not place this recalled power bank in the used battery recycling bins available at various hardware and home improvement stores.’
An external portable battery for mobile phones, the Charmast sold on Amazon (above), has been recalled after 44 cases of the device ‘expanding, igniting, melting, heating or smoking’
In four cases, the exploding power bank, model Charmast W1056 (above), even injured customers directly – causing ‘burns or blisters,’ according to the recall notice sent by the US CPSC. “They were sold in black, blue, green, pink, pink and white,” the CPSC recalled.
Anyone who has purchased one of the recalled Charmast devices, according to the US CPSC recall noticethey can call the company’s collection at 929-636-0293 Monday through Friday, from 10 am to 3 pm Eastern to request their refund.
Charmast memorial services can also be initiated via email at rcus@charmast.comon the Internet https://www.charmast.com/pages/recall-info-page or through the company website a large page by clicking on ‘Memory’ in the top menu.
Globally, there were 445 lithium-ion battery fires, 214 injuries, and 38 deaths in 2023, according to a report by the international security company UL Solutions’ Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI).
Lithium battery fire cases have seen a ‘significant increase,’ according to a study in Columbia, Maryland.
‘Even if the primary cause of the fire is not the lithium-ion battery,’ FSRI director Steve Kerber said, ‘their involvement can increase the intensity and speed of the fire.’
And America’s consumer watchdog has spoken out strongly in recalling Charmast’s dangerous and flawed banks.
One A 2021 investigation by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found that lithium-ion batteries in waste management facilities have caused 245 separate fires in 28 states, causing entire buildings to burn at times.
The recycling facility, the EPA said, was the most vulnerable to the fire.
Portable batteries are sold exclusively on Amazon
And it has become a global problem, with Australia’s estimated 3638 tonnes (3,300 tonnes) of lithium-ion battery waste each year, causing more than 10,000 fires a year only in landfills and garbage trucks.
Even well-designed lithium-ion batteries can cause serious fires if not handled carefully, as numerous accidents have shown in recent years.
After a short time, the battery ignites and begins to emit large flames, causing the dogs to bark. A spokesman for the Tulsa Fire Department said: “The consequences could have been worse if there was no way to escape or if the family had been asleep at the time.”
In another shocking incident this past summer, a pet dog in Oklahoma caught fire in a house while playing with a battery unattended as a chew toy.
The Tulsa Fire Department released footage of a cell phone battery catching fire in May earlier this year.
‘The consequences could have been much worse if there was no way to escape or if the family had been asleep at the time,’ Andy Little of the Tulsa Fire Department said.
The UL Solution researchers at FSRI hope that their testing of these products will help them be safer in all situations.
‘Lithium-ion electronic devices are not going anywhere and will be part of our society for years to come,’ UL FSRI director of firefighting Kerber said.
‘Our goal right now is to better understand how these batteries affect fire behavior,’ Kerber said in a press release, ‘and to help people make better use of this technology.’
