A Richmond, B.C., woman is among several Canadians injured after the batteries inside their handheld vacuums exploded. The injuries have prompted a massive recall by Health Canada.

Fiona Du says the battery in her Electrolux cordless stick vacuum exploded while she was vacuuming the stairs on Monday, causing second and third-degree burns to one of her hands.

"It just suddenly exploded," Du told CTV News.

"It's quite scary because I do vacuum around my kids when they are eating and playing."

The impact was strong enough to change the shape of the ring she was wearing on her finger. It also imbedded a quarter-sized piece of the appliance into the wall.

"I can't even change my son's diaper now," she said. "I just use one hand. I need somebody to help me to dress."

Du is one of five Canadians who has reported being injured by an Electrolux cordless vacuums in recent days, prompting Health Canada to post a recall notice for more than 44,000 of the appliances on Thursday.

The agency says the batteries inside the cordless stick vacuums can expand and burst, causing injuries to both the user and anyone close by.

The injuries include irritation to the eyes from contact with battery powder, and - in two cases -- swollen hands.

Full recall details

The Electrolux recall involves the brands Ergorapido, Pronto, Precision, and Sanitaire by Precision. All of the units are two-in-one cordless stick vacuums with a detachable hand vacuum and a free-standing charger.

The serial plate on the bottom of the handheld unit has the following information:

Voltage "9.6 V" on the serial plate, and the serial number 074000001 through 08510001 or 74000001 through 85100001. The serial number can be found on the right hand corner of the serial plate.

The recalled vacuums were sold in Canada between Nov. 2007 and March 2009. They were sold at major retailers, including Costco, Canadian Tire, The Bay, Sears and Lowes.

Anyone who owns one of these units should stop using it immediately and contact Electrolux for a free replacement of the handheld portion - which contains the battery.

Full list of recalled Electrolux vacuums:

Ergorapido

  • Model # EL 1002A
  • Model # EL 1005A
  • Model # EL 1007A

Pronto

  • Model # EL 1000A
  • Model # EL 1000AZ
  • Model # EL 1001A
  • Model # EL 1000B

Precision by Electrolux

  • Model # PE 1000B
  • Model # PE 1000BB

Sanitaire by Precision

  • Model # SP 1000A
  • Model # SP 1000AB