Parents need to learn more about magnets in toys and the special and unique safety considerations that should be taken. The risk of a child swallowing magnets is actually very different from the risk of choking on a small part.
Watch this NBC news video featuring Cincinnati, Ohio physician Dr. Alan Oestreich and disturbing X-rays! This is a serious but relatively new and unknown problem: tiny powerful magnets falling out of Magnetix, Polly Pocket, etc. toys. If more than one magnet is swallowed or inhaled, or one magnet plus something metallic such as a metal ball, they can reconnect inside the abdomen from one portion of the intestine to another, choking off blood flow. A child tragically died from Magnetix magnets he swallowed, and literally dozens more age 0-11 have needed surgery.
Major new stories are breaking in the Magnetix magnetic toy safety controversy. Be sure to visit http://magnetscankill.spaces.live.com to get up to date.
The U.S. CPSC on April 19, 2007 issued an expanded recall for an additional 4 million toys in the Magnetix product line, sold by MEGA Brands, Inc. Tiny magnets can fall out unexpectedly from poorly designed or defective toys. Parents don't even realize the tiny bits the size of popcorn kernels can can be released from the larger pieces of the toys. If eaten or inhaled, these neodymium magnets may reconnect inside the body and cause serious internal injury or death. Believe it or not, normal kiddos age 1 to age 12 have swallowed Magnetix magnets and needed emergency surgery to save their lives.
The Chicago Tribune beginning May 6 published a major expose of the red flags ignored by the CPSC and the unconscionable lack of remedial action taken by Rose Art and Mega Brands, makers of Magnetix. Both the regulatory agency and the manufacturer knew about the dangers to children of swallowing magnets, the tendency for magnets to be shed by the Magnetix toys, and the scores of terrifying injuries (even one tragic death) from reports as early as the year 2000. Yet they did very little to protect our children when it would have been so easy to do so.
As a direct effect of the Tribune's investigative report, several major retailers including Amazon.com, Walmart, and ToysRUs have temporarily discontinued selling Mega Brands' Magnetix toys. The two recall orders for Magnetix were so confusing that the retailers need more clarity from the CPSC as to which packages are "safe" and which are "defective". It turns out that retailers went on selling potentially damaged Magnetix toys for months or even a year after the original recall in March, 2006. That's because the CPSC gave Mega Brands a "sweetheart deal" in order to get them to buy-in to any sort of "voluntary recall" after the death of young Kenny Sweet, Jr. Products at retail were "excluded" from the recall and stores were not required to return their inventory of old Magnetix products to Mega Brands.
The U.S. CPSC and Mega Brands continue to ignore the danger of certain other Mega Brands magnetic toys that do not carry the name "Magnetix" but may be equally fraught with danger. In particular, Magna Man action figure toys have been shown to easily release magnets.
At the blog Play Library, many mothers have reported that their children have swallowed the metal balls from Magnetix toys, even kids age 6 and older. These parents should file incident reports at cpsc.gov to report any injury from a toy or product defect, whether the toys were legal to be sold or not. The CPSC says that small balls may legally be included in toys designed for children over age 3. They only require a warning label if the toy is marketed for kids age 3-8. But if a steel ball from Magnetix is swallowed, we urge you: an X-ray should be taken immediately of the child to determine if any magnets were swallowed as well (they would attract together across bodily tissue). If no magnetic materials are found, yes the ball should eventually "come out". But Play Library bloggers are reporting that the terrifying process takes several days to a few weeks, and in some cases the Magnetix balls have had to be surgically removed from their child's digestive tract.
Product demonstration and review of MAGNETIX by ROSE ART traditional 70-piece magnetic building set, from a consumer who was unaware of the Magnetix product recall. Posted to expotv.com on June 23, 2006.
Magnetix
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Watch this *exclusive* home video from a family as they discover that the "Magnetix Xtreme Combo" magnetic building set they bought AFTER the March 31, 2006 MEGA Brands recall was defective...2 magnets fell out of the corners onto their carpet and these powerful magnets ripped holes through bags. This is just a test! (No magnets were swallowed and no children needed surgery.)
Smart boy creates figure from geomags. Notice the parts scattered on the carpet. Luckily for his family this is NOT the brand which has become known for magnets that come out and have been swallowed by children with tragic consequences.
Long video in which bored kid's action figures combat a shape-shifting figure constructed from magnetic links and balls. See through to the end to find out if the magnetic figure will be vanquished!
What did this pretty girl do to her face? Why did she do this? Looks like the kind of flashing magnets (2 pieces connect one on each side of your clothing, etc.) you can buy at sporting events or from street vendors. These magnets are not safe and also not subject to any toy safety regulations. Do not let your kids put them in their mouth where they could end up swallowing them!
Boy connects several Magnetix Xtreme magnetic panels and puts them over his eyes like in Star Wars. These flat panels are the very type that have had many tiny NIB magnets fall out of the corners and get swallowed by kids.
Friday, November 10, 2006
the power of magnets
A bad idea - magnet in ear.
Hanging with a magnet
Guy hangs a neodymium rare-earth magnet on the ceiling and it holds his weight.
Neodymium magnet holding around 350 sheets of paper
The power of a large neodymium magnet.
Floating magnet
He makes a maget float in the air.
Magnet
Really dumb guy swallows magnet then attracts magnets to it from the outside of his body.
May 2006 Keywords to draw attention to the dangers of magnets Magnets Can Kill magnetscankill death dying dead sick sickened Harm fatal dangerous danger endanger endangering Cause severe injury result in serious internal damage Toy child's toy children's toy popular top seller top-10 list most wanted Recommended age ages 6-100 building set building blocks Links long short part flexors housing casing Metallic balls ball bearings magnetic building set magnetic building toy section Multiple magnet ingestion powerful powerfully attract attracted Magnetized magnetically polarized pull twist Fused bonded bond rubbing against tissue internal organs inhale aspirate Swallowed swallow eat mouth braces pierced piercing jewelry Intestine small large intestinal colon abdominal cavity Lung nose ear block intestinal blockage volvulus loop Choke off blood flow oxygen perforated hole torn Contaminated leaked leak bacteria infection infected gangrene gangrenous Blood poisoning cardiac arrest Atrophied necrotic sepsis septic shock Gastroenterologist Doctor Dr MD emergency room ER surgery XRay X-Ray Autopsy Medical Examiner ME Health Department Public Health Agency Misdiagnosed diagnosis undifferentiated non-specific stomach flu flu-like symptoms Tender touch pain painful vomit throw up digest digestive Prevent prevention save life hidden cause adhesion bowel obstruction lodge Abdominal discomfort cramps appendix stomach ache Vague symptoms Put in mouth child children baby babies kids boy girl infant toddler pre-schooler Choking choke windpipe airway obstruction condition state pacemaker defibrillator interfere interference MRI Cylindrical shape tiny small miniscule eraser-shape aspirin-size popcorn kernel Pieces fall out easy easily fallen fell drop lose defective loose magnets break open friction pull metal rust corrode release toxic chemicals Releasing secure poor quality substandard cheap plastic assembly Quality control change enhance improve redesign Box warning label package packaging manufacturing design toy No adhesive shallow lip narrow lip Manufacturing manufactured import imported China from China made in China Sell stock inventory store on-line shelves distributing profit insurance Warning hazard small parts small parts Not for under age 3 three Inappropriate unsuitable play use normal Lawsuit sue filed damages punitive negligent negligence injunction Lawyer attorney law firm class action Parent family mother father brother sister siblings Home house floor carpet rug disappear transparent hidden invisible Concern grieving grief tragedy needless unnecessary United States US Consumer Product Safety Commission CPSC Canada Canadian America American Europe European Ireland Irish UK England Wales Scotland Britain Great Britain English Germany German Recall replacement program similar toy age appropriate fully encased no seams sealed Magnetix Megabloks Inc. Mega Bloks Roseart Rose Art Industries New Jersey Toronto Ontario Subsidiary Owner President Chairman press release Dracco magnets Dracco Toggo Toggolino Spongebob Squarepants RTL SuperRTL Disney Bertelsmann Joint Venture Hunter Overseas Pty Ltd Austalia Department for Fair Trading
Please read these cautions about "multiple magnet ingestion", magnetic toys and jewelry, tiny magnets, defective children's toys, the Magnetix building set recall (3.8 million toys recalled in US, Canada, Europe and now tragically, Australia), Mega Bloks Inc. and Rose Art Industries, Inc., and Dracco Magnets sold in Europe.
Read about the huge second recall in April, 2007 of 4 million additional sets of Magnetix magnetic building toys at our information library http://www.magnetscankill.spaces.live.com
If you have a question or comment, please let me know. To contact me, just visit www.ProductSafetyMom.com.
