Consumers may think of children's toys with detachable magnets as a choking hazard, but in the case of Magnetix Magnetic Building Sets, the issues have become far more serious.
Working with the manufacturer, the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a recall of 4 million units of the toy. The government agency has discovered at least two dozen cases of children ingesting the magnet. One of the children died and nearly all required surgery.
This is the second recall for the toy and by far the most sweeping. The toy contains more than 100 detachable pieces, some of which can cause serious injuries to a child's digestive system or even be aspirated into a lung. What makes this issue so unusual is the age of the children involved. Although the hazard was initially thought to be a problem primarily for children younger than six, it has since been learned that at least ten injuries involved children between the ages of 6 and 11 years old.
“CPSC is deeply concerned about the dangers that small, powerful magnets can pose to children if swallowed,” said CPSC Acting Chairman Nancy Nord. “In order for any product recall to be effective in protecting consumers, we must significantly reduce incidents and injuries from occurring after the recall is announced.” Mega Brands has been cooperative in this expanded recall, according to the CPSC.
Consumers should stop using the recalled magnetic sets immediately and contact Mega Brands for a comparable replacement toy. If consumers are uncertain as to whether their product is being recalled, they can contact Mega Brands at (800) 779-7122 between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. ET Monday through Friday.
The CPSC is also asking consumers to immediately report any incidents of loose magnets to the CPSC Hotline at (800) 638-2772 or to the CPSC Web site at www.cpsc.gov.
Labels: CPSC, Magnetix, recall
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