7 deaths linked to tiny magnets found in toys, US warns

A federal safety agency warned this week that small, powerful magnets have been linked to seven deaths after they were swallowed. voluntary recall from one company of a toy set that contained such magnets and warned against six other companies with similar toys.

The agency, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, said Thursday it was aware of seven deaths, including two outside the United States, and about 2,400 emergency room visits between 2017 and 2021 linked to ingestion of the small , powerful magnets. .

The danger is that they can easily bond with magnets or other metal objects, making them an even greater danger if swallowed with another object. Even swallowed alone, the small magnetic balls pose a risk of perforation or blockage of the intestinesblood poisoning or death, the committee said.

Last year, the commission approved a new safety standard for small magnets, which requires products to be either too large to swallow or weak enough to reduce the risk of internal injury if swallowed.

During tests, the magnets, which are made of rare earth metals and measure five millimeters, or about the size of a pea, fit within the commission’s requirements. cylinder for small partswhich is about the size of a fully dilated throat of a child under 3 years of age.

At least seven companies sold products this year that did not meet the new standard. Those businesses were not linked to the deaths or injuries, said Patty Davis, commission spokeswoman.

The committee did not provide additional information about the names of the companies that made the products linked to the deaths and injuries.

The committee tested the toys, some of which are small, individual metal balls that can be sculpted into shapes, and found that the magnets were too small, too strong or both, Ms. Davis said.

“If you have children in the house, they can be deadly,” she said.

A company, XpressGoods of Raleigh, NC, recalled and refund offered for a set of colorful, small magnets it was sold as Neodymium Magic Magnetic Balls. The recall affected approximately 700 units sold online between July 2021 and May 2022. The company could not be reached for comment on Friday.

The commission warned consumers about these other products: SplishSplashFun’s SplishSplash Balls Reusable water balloons; MXN Commerce Inc Carrara magnetic ball sets; Magic QQs 216-piece magnetic ball sets in mixed colors; Ming Tai Trade 216-piece 5mm magnetic ball sets; From the sunny house 125 piece 5mm mixed color magnetic ball sets and that of Allvre 216-piece 5mm magnetic ball sets.

“These companies refused to do recalls, so we’re going direct to consumers,” Ms. Davis said. “You must stop using it immediately. Throw them away.”

SplishSplashFun’s website was offline and the company could not immediately be reached. MXN Commerce Inc. did not immediately respond to a request for comment. According to the committee, no contact details could be found for Magic QQ, Allvre or Ming Tai Trade, all companies based in China.

On Temu, the popular Chinese shopping platform, Sunny House’s product page was offline on Friday.

In addition to issuing warnings to consumers, the commission can also file a lawsuit or initiate a mandatory recall process, but that could take years.

In 2021, the agency maintained a mandatory recall from a toy set produced by Zen Magnets LLC after two children had to undergo surgery to remove swallowed magnets that were lodged so deeply that parts of their intestines and intestines had to be removed.