Don’t let your kids play with these high

On Au. 17, 2023, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a warning that people should not use the Iraza 512 piece Magnetic Stone 5mm Magnetic Ball Sets sold online at Walmart because the magnets can cause injury or death if swallowed. (Photo provided by the CPSC)

In March of last year, a company recalled DigiDots 3mm and 5mm magnetic balls after it received reports of children swallowing them and requiring surgery to remove them.

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in August 2021, a toddler died after swallowing magnetic balls. Around the same time, two other children required surgery “to remove the magnets along with parts of their intestines and bowels.”

“When high-powered magnets are swallowed, the ingested magnets can attract to each other, or to another metal object, and become lodged in the digestive system. This can result in perforations, twisting and/or blockage of the intestines, infection, blood poisoning and death,” the commission said.

Today, the commission issued a warning about another brand of magnetic balls - Iraza - saying the company has not responded to its request to recall them. The commission said the balls violate “the mandatory federal safety standard for magnets.”

The Iraza 512 Piece Magnetic Stone 5mm Magnetic Ball Sets DIY Creative Magnetic Beads were sold by Guanjia Trading Co. of China on Walmart.com for about $30.

The commission said it tested the magnetic ball sets that “are small, spherical, loose, separable rare-earth magnets with a strong magnetic flux. They were sold as loose magnets in a set of 512 multi-colored magnetic balls assembled in the form of a cube. The 5mm sets were sold encased in a clear-plastic case and a portable tin storage box. The set includes a black storage bag.”

The commission said people should not use or sell the magnetic balls.

“The mandatory federal safety standard for magnets makes it unlawful to sell non-compliant magnet products manufactured after October 21, 2022, ... Guanjia Trading Co. sold approximately 700 sets from October 2022 through April 2023.”

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