Ingestion Hazard Prompts Recall of Small Magnetic Balls

FRIDAY, Dec. 29, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Citing thousands of hospitalizations and at least seven deaths linked to high-powered magnetic balls, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced Thursday that balls sold exclusively online at Walmart have been recalled for swallowing dangers.

Swallowing these magnets is particularly dangerous because they stick to one another and can become lodged in the digestive tract, the commission said. "This can result in perforations, twisting and/or blockage of the intestines, infection, blood poisoning, and death," the recall notice added.

The commission said it "estimates 2,400 magnet ingestions were treated in hospital emergency departments from 2017 through 2021." In addition, the commission knows of "seven deaths involving the ingestion of hazardous magnets, including two outside of the United States," the commission said.

The commission also noted that the magnetic balls sold at Walmart "do not comply with the requirements of the mandatory federal magnet regulation because the sets contain one or more magnets that fit within CPSC's small parts cylinder and the magnets are stronger than permitted."

The Relax magnetic balls are sold as a set of 216 multicolor balls that measure 5 mm each. More than 4,200 sets are being recalled, the commission said.

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