Urgent recall of 1.5 MILLION popular Amazon and Walmart hand warmers

More than 1.5 million hand warmers sold by Amazon and Walmart have been recalled after 350 people were burned and one died.

China-based OCOOPA Direct announced the recall of its OCOOPA Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Battery hand warmers after receiving reports that the devices could overheat and ignite, posing a risk of serious injury or death from burns and fires.

To date, it said it had received 1,480 reports of its hand warmers overheating, which had led to 15 fires and 350 burn injuries. 

It also said that the warmers had led to the death of an 83-year-old San Diego resident in February this year.

The devices were sold in black, light blue and other colors for $15 to $60 for a pack of two that could be magnetically joined together using a charging cable.

They were available nationwide at Amazon and Walmart, and were for sale between September 2018 and May 2026. 

Customers have been urged to stop using the devices immediately and dispose of them at a specialist center for products containing lithium-ion batteries. 

Customers can also receive a refund from the manufacturer if they send an image of the device with the word ‘RECALLED’ written in permanent marker on it. 

Electric hand warmers from OCOOPA have been recalled over fears they could cause injury or death. The above is a stock image of an electric hand warmer. This hand warmer was not part of the recall

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Officials have also urged anyone who thinks they were burned by the hand warmers to come forward.

The recall was revealed by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission.

In the recall notice, they added that the devices had a USB-C port built in to allow users to charge the batteries inside each unit.

Each hand warmer also has an LED indicator light and the manufacturer name OCOOPA printed on top of the device and on its packaging. 

Customers can find the model and three-digit batch number on the handwarmer’s underside. 

Handwarmers with the following batch number were recalled: UT3053, UT3056, ZLS-118, ZLS-118S, ZLS-118D and H01.

It was not clear why the hand warmers were heating up and catching fire but this can happen due to a manufacturing issue.

Tens of thousands of hand warmers are purchased in the US every year, often by older adults who are trying to overcome cold temperatures in winter.

The above shows hand warmers that are part of the recall

The above image shows a hand warmer that is part of the recall and how to find the code for the recalled item on the back of the device

They are also popular gifts around the winter period, as a way to help people manage cold weather.

Hand warmers can reach temperatures above 110F (44C), which can cause a burn if the device is pressed against the skin for 15 minutes or more.

If someone was burned by a device, a red mark in the shape of the device will appear on their skin.