These magnets have caused thousands of injuries, especially among young children. A new study found U.S. poison centers received 5,738 calls relating to the ingestion of these products between 2008 and 2019, with cases surging after a two-year ban on their sale was lifted about four years ago.
The magnets not only serve as a choking hazard, but when more than one are swallowed, they can attract each other across body tissue, causing obstructions to the blood supply, tissue necrosis, sepsis and death.
An emergency endoscopy or abdominal surgery is usually needed to remove them. Two doctors raised concerns in 2019, telling STAT that they had removed 54 tiny toy magnets from the digestive systems of four children over the course of several weeks.
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(COLUMBUS, Ohio) - High-powered magnets are small, shiny magnets made from powerful rare earth metals. Since they started showing up in children s toys in the early 2000s and then later in desk sets in 2009, high-powered magnets have caused thousands of injuries and are considered to be among the most dangerous ingestion hazards in children.
When more than one is swallowed, these high-powered magnets attract to each other across tissue, cutting off blood supply to the bowel and causing obstructions, tissue necrosis, sepsis and even death. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) found them dangerous enough that in 2012 they halted the sale of high-powered magnet sets and instituted a recall followed by a federal rule that effectively eliminated the sale of these products. This rule was overturned by the U.S. Court of Appeals in December 2016.
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Despite Thousands of Injuries, Super-Strong Magnets Are Still Sold As Desk Toys
Safety advocates urge consumers to avoid these products this holiday season and beyond By Rachel Rabkin Peachman SHARES