Hazardous Xmas lights

[Otto]

I came across some Christmas lights that had rust stains on white insulation near the sockets. At first I thought it might have been due to a high ferrous content in the brass connectors, but upon investigating further I found it was the wire itself (which sticks to a magnet). The wire is much more brittle than regular copper wire. This can result in the wire breaking inside the insulation and arcing at the break. I was surprised to see the wire was marked with a CSA designation (Canadian equivalent to UL). I couldn't imagine this type of wire getting CSA or UL approval. I googled the the markings (CSA TYPE TXF ....) and came across the following:

CSA Group Alerts Consumers and Manufacturers of Decorative Lighting products that Equipment Wiring Manufactured by Haiyan Renhe Electronics Co Ltd. Does Not Meet Canadian Standards

CSA Group, a leading global provider of product testing and certification services and standards development, is notifying consumers, regulators, retailers and manufacturers that equipment wiring made by Haiyan Renhe Electronics Co. Ltd. may pose a risk of fire or shock hazard.

CSA Group conducted an independent investigation and determined that equipment wiring type TXF and TXFW made by Haiyan Renhe Electronics does not meet CSA standards and is a misuse of the CSA mark. This wiring is printed with CSA file “246431”. It was used in decorative lighting products made by Zhejiang Kaifu Lamp Co. Ltd which were subject to recall by Health Canada. This wiring may have also been used by other manufacturers of decorative light strings.

Consumers are encouraged to check the Recall and Safety Alerts Database on the Healthy Canadians website for product recall alerts issued by Health Canada and follow the directions for all products under a recall notice.

CSA Group takes the misuse of its marks very seriously and has cancelled the certification for Haiyan Renhe Electronics Co. Ltd. and removed their certification records from the Certified Product Listings on CSA Group’s website: Home | CSA Group.

Anyone with a safety concern about a CSA Group certified product is urged to send the details to: crush.counterfeiting@csagroup.org.

CSA Group Alerts Consumers and Manufacturers of Decorative Lighting products that Equipment Wiring Manufactured by Haiyan Renhe Electronics Co Ltd. Does Not Meet Canadian Standards | CSA Group

This is the second time I've come across high ferrous content copper wire in consumer items. Last Fall I found it in some lamps. I have to wonder how many fires and, potentially, deaths have resulted from this crap.