Hoverboards have been declared officially unsafe by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
In an open letter on Thursday, the CPSC urged "manufacturers, importers, and retailers of self-balancing scooters" to ensure the devices comply with safety standards listed in independent testing firm Underwriters Laboratories' (UL's) Outline of Investigation for Electrical Systems for Self-Balancing Scooters.
Because the UL outline is dated 29 January 2016, the majority of so-called hoverboards on the market are unlikely to comply with its standards. According to Cnet, UL has not officially certified any hoverboards to date, and only began accepting the devices for testing earlier this month.
The CPSC's letter also says all hoverboards must comply with test requirements stipulated in the United Nations' Transport of Dangerous Goods for Lithium Metal and Lithium Ion Batteries.
Defective
The CPSC says hoverboards that do not meet these requirements "pose an unreasonable risk of fire to consumers", who "risk serious injury or death" using these devices.
Hoverboards that do not meet the safety standards listed are considered defective by the CPSC, which may seek a recall of these products, it says.
The CPSC's letter follows a torrent of stories of hoverboards bursting into flames without being improperly used.
Between 1 December 2015 and 17 February 2016, the CPSC "received reports, from consumers in 24 [US] states, of 52 self-balancing scooter fires resulting in over $2 million in property damage, including the destruction of two homes and an automobile," it says.
Dozens of similar incidents have been reported in the UK and Australia during this time period.
Removals, recalls, bans
Multinational toy retailer Toys R Us last week announced it was removing all hoverboards from its online sales Web site. The company said it is liaising with manufacturer Razor, to ensure its Hovertrax hoverboards are tested against "the latest safety standards", and will decide whether to resume selling the devices following its investigation.
Over the weekend, high-profile hoverboard-maker Swagway urged owners of its devices to stop using them pending investigation. Swagway says it will issue a recall if the requirements listed by the CPSC deem this action necessary.
Hoverboard use is banned in a growing list of tertiary campuses and other private and public spaces, a recent example of which being US university Dartmouth College.
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