The "popular toys" that children love to play with have been recalled. Check to see if you have any at home?

Just on the 17th of this month, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a recall notice, announcing the recall of a certain brand of highly magnetic 5 mm spherical magnets (approximately 10 million pieces), which we commonly call magnetic beads.

The recall was reportedly due to two children accidentally swallowing the magnetic beads and having to go to the hospital for surgery to remove them, which also removed part of their intestines.

Even more tragically, a 19-month-old toddler died after accidentally ingesting a similar highly magnetic magnet.

Between 2009 and 2018, there were two deaths and at least 4,500 hospital emergency visits in the United States related to accidental ingestion of magnets, with most of the victims being children and adolescents aged 11 months to 16 years.

Similar cases have long been common in China. According to statistics from the Zhejiang Provincial Quality and Safety Institute from the end of 2019 to the beginning of 2020, there were 12 news reports of children accidentally ingesting magnetic beads and causing intestinal perforation.

Dad Review fans also suffered such a "thrilling" night in January this year. The child secretly played with magnetic beads before going to bed and accidentally dropped them into the mouth and swallowed them.

Fortunately, the child swallowed two beads at once and was sent to the doctor in time, so no serious injury occurred. But why does this seemingly small magnetic bead have such great "power"?

1. How dangerous are magnetic beads? In my country's national toy standard GB 6675.2-2014, there are detailed regulations for magnetic toys: children under the age of 14 should avoid using "dangerous magnets" when playing. This refers to magnets that are strong enough (magnetic flux index > 50kG²mm²) and can fit into a small parts barrel.

"Dangerous magnets" in toys can be easily swallowed by children, and have strong enough magnetic force to easily cause the magnetic components to interact with each other in the intestines and cause damage to the gastrointestinal tract.

The diameter of a single magnetic bead is generally 3mm-5mm, which can be easily placed in a small parts tester. This means that if a child accidentally swallows a magnetic bead, it may not get stuck in the throat, but directly enter the intestinal digestive system. If more than two beads are swallowed by mistake, the magnetic beads are likely to adsorb to each other in the digestive system, exerting pressure on the gastrointestinal wall, causing gastrointestinal perforation or intestinal obstruction, which can only be removed by surgery, and in severe cases may even affect life safety.

The toy standard also specifically points out that "accidental ingestion may lead to misdiagnosis and easily delay the disease", which shows the high risk of accidental ingestion.

In the eyes of laboratory inspectors, if these products are all labeled as magnetic toys, it is very likely that they are all unqualified products.

2. Tragedy When we bought samples, we checked the product descriptions in many online stores. Most merchants have a note on the product details page that says "This product is not suitable for children under 14 years old."

Although there are warnings, contradictory and misleading product descriptions are found on the same page.

In order to increase traffic, such products can be found under categories such as "educational blocks", "building blocks", "magnetic tiles", "metal toys", "logic training", and "construction toys".

What’s worse, they are openly sold on online platforms and in small shops around schools under the banner of “Children’s Day gifts” or “birthday gifts”, misleading children and parents.

The magnetic beads sold on the market are getting smaller and smaller, the number is increasing, and the magnetic force is getting stronger, and the potential danger is getting greater. Judging from the actual casualties, this kind of strong magnetic "Buck Ball" product is indeed not suitable for children.

Finally, we have summarized some small suggestions about "magnetic toys" for everyone: 1. It is not recommended for parents to buy magnetic toys such as magnetic beads for their children. If you buy them for personal preference, please place them where children cannot easily reach them.

2. Make sure your child is also aware of the dangers of accidentally ingesting magnetic beads, politely refuse magnetic toys shared by others, do not bring these magnetic objects close to the mouth and nose, and do not use magnetic beads to imitate lip studs.

3. If your child accidentally ingests it, be sure to seek medical attention immediately and don’t rely on luck!

Dad Review hopes that parents can pay attention to the dangers and harmfulness of this type of magnetic toys.

I hope that businesses can describe their products truthfully and not mislead consumers. I don’t want to see tragedy happen again!

References

[1]https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2021/Zen-Magnets-and-Neoballs-Magnets-Recalled-Due-to-Ingestion-Hazard