Walmart issues a recall of about 1.2 million electric water kettles that were made in China, May 3, 2016. [Photo: thepaper.cn]

American multinational retail giant Walmart has issued a recall of about 1.2 million electric water kettles that were made in China.

According to a statement from the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) on Tuesday, the electric water kettles, branded as "Rival Brand Water Kettles" with model numbers WK8283CU and WK8283CUY, were recalled because the heating elements may fail and rupture, posing burn and shock hazards to users.

The CPSC said Walmart has received 80 incident reports, including seven regarding burns caused by the use of the products.

The two types of the electric water kettles are only supplied to markets outside China, Walmart has told ThePaper.cn, a Shanghai-based Chinese media outlet.

The electric water kettles were made in China between March 2011 and October 2015 and sold for about 14 US dollars each in the United States through Walmart stores and its online services.

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled kettles and can return the products to any Walmart stores. The CPSC has said consumers can also ask for a full refund.