5/29/2023 0 Comments Magnet toyThe Consumer Product Safety Commission has pursued multiple regulatory avenues in an effort to rein in sales of the products and protect children from their risks. An estimated 14,586 children went to an emergency room for magnet-related ingestions from 2010 to 2015, according to a 2017 study in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition. The magnets-which appeal to adults and children alike-have led to thousands of emergency department visits and even death. High-powered magnets-which have been sold as desk toys under such brand names as Buckyballs and Zen Magnets-are at the center of a long-running battle involving consumer safety advocates, regulators, and the toy industry, beginning almost as soon as the products entered the market a decade or so ago. “Most of the time-and most children-are not so lucky.” “That child was extremely lucky,” says Rudolph, who was not involved in the Scruggs case. Doctors needed to surgically remove the magnets to prevent long-term damage. In some cases, he notes, the magnets could even shut off a pacemaker by interfering with the electrical device’s functioning, which could be fatal.īecause of those and other risks, when the magnets are swallowed, emergency endoscopy or abdominal surgery is usually needed to remove them.įor Scruggs’ daughter, the magnets in her body ultimately formed into a circular bracelet and lodged in her upper colon. Or if someone with an ingested magnet were to undergo an MRI-a medical imaging test that uses a magnetic field and radio waves to take pictures of internal organs-the magnet could cause the person to become stuck within the MRI machine, the magnet could move to a precarious place inside the body, or generate electric currents that result in serious injury or death. For example, it could be drawn toward a large belt buckle worn outside the body, damaging tissues or organs in between. In the intestines, the magnets can trap tissue between them, which can cause holes in the intestinal lining, infections, blockages, and other life-threatening injuries.Įven one swallowed magnet can be dangerous, Rudolph says. They will benefit greatly from magnetic STEM toys and dartboards.“These high-powered magnets will attach across tissue or small bones,” he says.
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