13 Dec December is National Safe Toys and Gifts Month

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has placed a warning about the dangers of high-powered magnetic balls and cubes.  The CPSC has announced a mandatory recall of 10 million Zen and Neoballs magnets due to an ingestion hazard and risk of death. 

High-powered magnets are a safety risk to children. 

When high-powered magnets are swallowed, they can interact with each other or other metallic objects attracted to magnets and become lodged in the digestive system. This can result in perforations, twisting, and blockage of the intestines, infection, blood poisoning, and death. These injuries can occur when infants, toddlers, and teens access and ingest the magnets, including, for example, when teens use the magnets to mimic mouth piercings and swallow them inadvertently. 

If you suspect magnets have been swallowed:

• Seek immediate medical attention

• Medical symptoms to watch for are: abdominal pains, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

• In X-rays, multiple magnetic pieces may appear as a single object.

Learn more about the dangers of these magnets by watching this short video