Hundreds of thousands of heating pads sold by Amazon and Walmart are being recalled over fears they could leave users with severe burns and scars.
More than 500,000 ‘Mighty Bliss’ pads which cost between $29 and $50 have been pulled from shelves after nearly 300 complaints from customers in the past year.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the recall today, and issued a stark warning to shoppers to ‘immediately cease’ using the pads.
There have been several reports of the matts overheating, catching fire and letting off electric sparks causing injury to users.
The pads are marketed toward towards people with aches and pains as well as arthritis sufferers.
They work by heating these areas raising circulation and causing muscles there to relax — medically termed heat therapy — to relieve the pain.
But customers are now being urged to return the products — sold by Whele LLC based in Boston, Massachusetts — for a full refund.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is recalling 544,000 ‘Mighty Bliss’ heat pads that are used by arthritis patients and some athletes to help ease aches and pains. Pictured above is the blue pad, affected in the recall
It is being carried out over fears they could burn or harm customers. Pictured above is the grey heat pad which is also in the recall
In an update today the FDA warned users to ‘immediately cease use of the product’.
The affected products are the large and extra-large blue electric heat pads and large grey electric heat pads.
Customers can get a full refund if they take a picture of the packaging and upload the image to an FDA-run website.
Amazon and Walmart have both already pulled the product from their online stores.
Whele LLC issued the voluntary recall earlier this month.
It is unclear what is causing the issue, but in previous instances this has been due to issues with the product’s wiring.
The pads have three temperature settings — a low, medium or high — and can reach a maximum of 176F (80C) within ten minutes.
Users must first plug in the pads and set the temperature with the controller.
They should then place the pad over the area they want to ease.
Customers are told to keep them in place for 10 to 15 minutes for moderate pain.
But for more intense pain this should be stretched to at least 30 minutes.
The pads can be placed in washing machines to clean them.
Explaining the recall, the manufacturer said: ‘This recall has been initiated due to product safety concerns.’
It has received 31 complaints reporting injuries such as mild shocks, burns and rashes or irritation over the last year.
It had also received 255 complaints concerning when the product was overheating, sparking, burning or presenting other electrical problems.
Customers are being urged to check lot numbers on the pads to check whether their product is being recalled. The list can be viewed here.
Heat therapy works by raising the circulation in a particular area to help soothe discomfort and raise a muscle’s flexibility.
