I was reading some articles while drinking coffee this morning and I came upon a news article that made my heart sink. A previous ban on the sale of rare earth magnet toys has been overturned and they will return to the shelves.
After multiple instances of children suffering internal injuries after swallowing these neodymium magnets, the Consumer Product Safety Commission got them taken off the market. The manufacturer won an appeal, though, just in time for the holiday shopping season. 🙁
P
lease read my previous article: When Attractions Go Bad for a full run down, but in summary these are small kitchsy “toys” meant for adults. They are extremely powerful magnets that, when swallowed by children or pets, attract together in the digestive tract, pinch it off, and cause necrosis and sepsis. You don’t know this has happened until the symptoms are severe and it’s too late.
With the holiday season upon us, we are all out looking for fun things to buy for our family and friends. Please reconsider when you notice these. They can kill a child or pet and damage a family forever. No gift is worth that.
That is really scary! When I first saw the title, I thought it was referring to food manufacturing magnets, so I’m a little relieved on that account, as they seem necessary for food safety. I’ve never thought about kids or pets eating small magnets though; that’s really terrifying.