Magnetix Toy Violation Leads To Penalty

We’ve talked about the dangers of Magnetix, and about the recalls here on Play Library before. Now the US Consumer Product Safety Commission announced that Mega Brands will pay a $1.1 million civil penalty for failing to provide necessary information on the potential hazards the toy poses to children.

The recalls and problems have been going on for a couple years, and involves over 1500 complaints of magnets falling out of their holders. Even though several of the building sets have been recalled, many have not been returned by consumers and are still out there causing a potential hazard. If you’re concerned you may have a Magnetiz building set in question you can find out more information here.

Image via Amazon

Another Magnetix Toy Recall

As is quite evident from the many comments that Hsien received on this post, many Play Library readers are very concerned about the Magnetix toys and the hazards involved with swallowing magnetic parts of the toys.

It seems that there is yet another massive recall of older Magnetix toys about to occur. ImediNews reports the following:

Mega Brands Inc. has revealed it will institute a worldwide recall of older Megnetix toys in light of a recent Chicago Tribune investigation.

The Tribune said Saturday that based on its recent investigative series into the controversial toys, the international manufacturer announced that all older versions of the children’s items would be recalled.

Head over here for the entire article.

I’m not sure exactly what’s different about this recall from this or this one, but I thought you’d want to know. And for the many of you whose children did swallow the magnetic pieces, I hope that your children are healthy and doing well!

More Magnetix Magnetic Toys Recalled

Mega Brands America, Inc. has expanded its recall of the dreaded Magnetix sets. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission has more information. A Mom at Magnets Can Kill has a comprehensive history of Magnetix magnetic toy injuries and recalls.

To date, CPSC and Mega Brands are aware of one death, one aspiration and 27 intestinal injuries. Emergency surgical intervention was needed in all but one case. At least 1,500 incidents of magnets separating from the building pieces have been reported. Although the hazard was initially thought to be a problem primarily for children younger than six, it has since been learned that at least ten injuries involved children between the ages of 6 and 11 years old.

If a child swallows more than one tiny powerful magnet detached from the plastic building pieces or one such magnet and a metallic object, the objects can attract to each other inside the intestines and cause perforations and/or blockage, which can be fatal, if not treated immediately.

If you’ve had a personal encounter with Magnetix magnets coming loose, share your experience with other parents in our previous post about Magnetix.

Not All Magnetic Toys Are Dangerous: SuperMag vs Magnetix

PlastWood, an Italian toy manufacturer of SuperMag magnetic toys, is blaming MEGA Brands and subsidiary Rose Art for “ruining the magnetic toy market” because so many children have been injured from swallowing Magnetix magnetic balls and other parts (over 70 parents have shared their experiences here at Play Library). They claim that SuperMag toys have always been safe but their reputation was tarnished by poorly made Magnetix. PlastWood is suing MEGA Brands and Rose Art for economic loss since so many of their buyers cancelled orders of magnetic toys regardless of brand.

Nick Styant-Browne, the attorney with Seattle-based Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro representing Plastwood:

In our investigation, we have found that many big retailers are continuing to market the old toys alongside the redesigned ostensibly safer version. We contend that had Rose Art designed a safer product, and advertised it accurately, the magnetic toy market would not have collapsed.

I can sympathize with PlastWood since many kinds of toys are dangerous when ingested. But the fact remains that magnetic toys are considerably more dangerous because if more than one magnetic ball or part is swallowed, they can stick together in the intestines and cause perforations or other problems that require surgery. It’s curious, however, that so many children have swallowed magnetic toys and I wonder how many toys in general are swallowed on average and whether magnetic toys account for a large or small percentage.

The most basic question is: Why are children swallowing magnetic balls? One mother left a comment here at Play Library saying:

My son never puts things in his mouth, he came immediately to me crying and saying he was so sorry but he had just swallowed a ball. He said he wanted to know how it would feel in his mouth. The truth is they are shiny and weighted in such a way that they are enticing to children.

Would you or do you let your kids play with magnetic toys like Magnetix or SuperMag?

Tags: magnetic, magnetic balls, magnetic toys, magnetix, supermag, mega, rose art, plastwood, danger, children, kids, toys, games, family, parenting , magnets

Magnetic Polly Pocket Play Sets Recalled

What is it with magnets and toys? I’ve already written extensively about problems with children swallowing pieces from the Magnetix toy range. Many Play Library readers have written in to share their personal experience.

This past week, Polly Pocket Magnetic Play Sets were recalled after several reports of small magnets coming out of the toys with some children suffering intestinal perforations from swallowing the magnetic parts. If more than one magnet is swallowed, they’re attracted to each other in the intestine causing a twist so severe that the intestine is punctured or blocked with corresponding infection. (More from MSNBC.)

Are magnets so much fun that we can’t live without them in toys?

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New Warning Labels on Magnetix

More than half a year has passed since news reports began to surface of children who died or had to undergo surgery after having swallowed Magnetix.

KOMO TV News reports:

It happened to 20-month-old Kenny Sweet last Thanksgiving. “The pain will never go away, It will always remain,” said Kenny’s mom, Penny, during a May interview.

The magnets twisted his small intestine and wore a hole in the intestinal lining. Deadly bacteria leaked into the toddler’s blood stream. Kenny died on Thanksgiving day 2005.

Play Library readers have been sharing their stories in our original post: Toy Warning: Magnetix.

Read more

ASTM International Meeting on Magnets in Toys

Caroline Mayer of The Washington Post blog, The Checkout, reports that the toy industry met this week to examine the safety of magnetic toys. As many of you will remember, Magnetix has been in the news for a few months because several children needed surgery to remove the magnetic pieces they swallowed.

Safety officials said that the strength of the magnets may be what’s different; what’s been on refrigerator for years may have magnets far weaker than what’s currently in the building-block systems that use magnets. And some of the current magnets are so strong that if more than one is swallowed, they can be attracted to each other inside a child’s intestine, causing a potentially fatal perforation or blockage.

UK stores, such as Woolworth, are still selling Magnetix and I don’t recall seeing any specially made warnings to the effect that they’re not suitable for young children. It remains to be seen whether the ASTM subcommittee on toy safety will decide to require warning labels.

Technorati Tags: magnets, magnetic toys, magnets in toys, magnetix, rosearts, toys, children, kids

Toys for Mother’s Day

Happy Mother’s Day!

The Brits celebrated in March, so in my house we’re celebrating it twice. We’re heading out to a local restaurant for Sunday brunch where it won’t be crowded because we’re the only ones celebrating Mother’s Day today. If any of you still have to get a belated gift for mom, check out the detailed list of ideas at TheCelebrityCafe.com. It’s also a handy reference for any occasion when Mom deserves a gift (that would be every day!).

• Victoria’s Secret
• PajamaGram.com
• Magnetix necklace by Donna Asch (warning: not for homes with small children)
• PearlOutlet.com
• Smartbargains.com
• Wildbleu.com
• Suedy’s Koo-ki Sushi
• ColdHeat Freestyle Cordless Glue Gun
• Light Tweeze by Angelica Beauty
• Tomboy Tools
• Ghiradelli Intense Dark Gourmet Chocolate Bars
• Tilley Endurables Hats
• GourmetStation.com
• Dancing Deer Baking Co.

Update: Many of us in the b5media network are celebrating Mother’s Day today. Have a look around!

Technorati Tags: mothers, mothers day, children, kids,moms, gifts,presents

Toy Talk #5: Magnets Can Kill

Over the past few weeks, Play Library readers have been discussing the harm Magnetix can cause if swallowed. ProductSafetyMom aka A Mom has been keeping track of the controversy at her blog Magnets Can Kill. She writes of the purpose of her blog which is at MSN Spaces:

This Space is maintained in honor of Kenny Sweet, Jr. who died November 24, 2005 and other children who have been injured from ingesting magnets from children’s toys. Our hope is to compile and share as much information as possible to inform parents about the risks.

Reader Melissa’s son has already undergone surgery to remove Magnetix toy parts from his intestines and Jmom’s son is next. Get well wishes going your son’s way, Jmom!

Children’s Books for Every Occasion: Avoiding Dangers

With all the news lately of children getting hurt by their toys, I thought it might be good to find opportunities to remind our kids of some simple ways they can stay safe. The Safety Book for Active Kids: Teaching Your Child How to Avoid Everyday Dangers is divided into seven chapters. Some children may be too young to review each and every one, but there will be a time and place when they need to understand that they need to be mindful of their surroundings.

Excerpt from an Amazon customer review by lurnerjr:

The section has one page that has an illustration and a one paragraph description of a situation. Read the paragraph and ask the child what they would do. The child then responds. This is a great way to get to know your child’s maturity level, reasoning skills, and common sence. On the second page of the section there is a good discussion of the ideal response to the situation posed on the preceding page.

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