The Consumer Product Safety Commission continues to spread the word about the dangers of high powered magnet sets, and retailers are listening. These items are basically a set of tiny metal balls or cubes that can be linked together because of their highly magnetic properties. Unfortunately, if someone swallows more than one magnet, they can link within a person’s digestive system and cause serious damage.
Now, a handful of companies, most notably Hallmark, Brookstone, Barnes & Noble, and Bed Bath & Beyond, have agreed to stop selling versions of the product known as Buckyballs or Buckycubes. The product’s manufacturer, the New York City-based Maxfield & Oberton Holdings, has thus far refrained from issuing a recall of its own, disputing the CPSC’s accusations that the product is unsafe.
The CPSC hopes that the reports of injuries will speak for themselves. 54 ingestion incidents have occurred in association with the magnets, and all but one necessitated some sort of medical intervention. Last July, the CPSC filed a complaint against the company in an attempt to force their hand. Over 11 years, only three other such complaints have been issued.
Consumers should get in touch with the specific retailer they bought the product from to learn about recall instructions. The items were sold across the country starting in 2010.