TORONTO - Health Canada has announced the recall of some Nikon rechargeable camera batteries, saying they pose a burn hazard to users.
The recall is being conducted in Canada and the United States, by Health Canada, Nikon and the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Health Canada says the battery packs can short circuit, causing them to overheat and melt; there have been seven reports of batteries overheating, though none from Canada.
The batteries in question are certain lots of the Nikon Model EN-EL 15 rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack.
Only EN-EL battery packs beginning with the number 201 and which have an "E" or an "F" as the ninth digit of the 14-digit lot number are being recalled for replacement.
Consumers with D800 and D7000 digital-SLR cameras by Nikon should look on the back of their battery pack to see if the unit supplied with their camera is subject to the recall.
It's estimated 1,068 of the affected batteries were sold in Canada in February and March of this year. The units were sold at camera, office supplies and mass merchandising stores, in catalogues and through a variety of websites.
Consumers looking for more information or to arrange to obtain a replacement battery can contact Nikon Canada Inc. at 1-877-534-9910 between 8:45 am and 4:45 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, by email at serviceadvisory@nikon.ca or by visiting visit the firm's website, http://en.nikon.ca/index.page.
