Magnets

This is another one that is old news and has scared me for the majority of my career and even more so since having children of my own.

Magnets can be found in various toys (generally aged 3+) from jewellery making, building kits and blocks to dartboards.

Magnets can come in various strengths. Super strong magnets can be 10 times stronger than standard magnets. If magnets are swallowed, they can cause serious injuries and have in cases been life-threatening. If multiple magnets are swallowed, they can cause damage to your child's insides, if they attach to each other within the body they can cut off the blood supply and tear holes in intestines.  

If magnets are swallowed urgent hospital attention and emergency surgery to remove them may be required. If the injuries are life-threatening several operations and possible intensive care may be necessary.

There are a growing number of reported injuries and hospital submissions of children being treated after swallowing magnets – the number has increased by five times in the last 4 years.

One of the scariest reports is of an 18-month-old boy who was taken to hospital and doctors suspected gastroenteritis but after an x-ray of the boy’s abdomen showed 23 magnets looping around his intestines requiring emergency surgery to remove them. As a precaution they check his twin brother to discover he had also swallowed 4 magnets and alsorequired surgery. The magnet balls that the twins swallowed belonged to their older brother, but they had managed to get hold of them.

Not only young children feel the desire to put magnets in thir mouths. One of the reports is of an 11-year-old boy who is believed to have been following a TikTok craze whereby people pretend to have their tongues pierced by putting two super strong magnets either side of their tongues. After investigation surgeons found 5 magnets that has caused internal damage to his bowel.

In the US the toy safety standards prohibit the use of strong magnets in any toy part that is small enough to be swallowed and is intended for children under the age of 14-years-old. In Europe the acceptable level of magnetic flux index is set in the Toy Safety Standard EN71.

If you are a manufacturer or producer of items being designed or are in production of items containing magnets and would like to discuss this further please drop me a message!