Magnetic balls sold at Walmart recalled due to risk of choking and death
Thousands of sets of high-powered magnetic balls sold at Walmart have been recalled after federal regulators issued a warning about the potential risk of choking, serious injuries and death.
On Dec. 28, the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a recall of more than 4,200 magnetic ball sets, sold exclusively on Walmart.com through Joybuy. The CPSC warned that the magnetic balls were too small and too powerful, presenting an ingestion hazard, especially for young kids.
“Consumers should stop using the recalled magnetic balls immediately, take them away from children,” the agency said.
The recalled product — sold under the name "Relax 5mm Science Kit, Large Hematite Magnets Magnetic Stones Building Block" — includes 216 multicolored spherical balls measuring 5 millimeters in diameter. The sets were sold online from Walmart between February 2022 and April 2023 for $14–15, the CPSC said.
High-powered magnetic balls, which connect together to form different shapes and structures, are often marketed as toys for children and teens or desk accessories for adults.
According to regulators, the recalled magnetic balls do not comply with federal magnet regulation requirements because they are stronger than permitted, and the balls are small enough to fit inside the CPSC’s small parts cylinder. The cylinder, which is about the size of a toilet paper role tube or a young child’s throat, is used to determine whether a toy presents a choking or ingestion hazard.
The recalled balls contain high-powered neodymium "rare earth" magnets, the CPSC said, which are far stronger than the typical magnets you'd find on a refrigerator, for example.
“Magnets are small, attractive, and we know that little children love to put things in their mouth,” Dr. Sarah Ash Combs, an emergency medicine pediatrician at Children’s National Hospital, previously told TODAY.com. “I am very hesitant to give (my kids) any magnetized toys, even ones that are authorized.”
What happens if you swallow a magnet?
When high-powered magnets are swallowed, they can become lodged in the digestive tract. Multiple magnets can attract to each other or other metal objects and force through tissues in the body, TODAY.com previously reported.
Ingesting magnets may result in intestinal blockages, perforations, infections, blood poisoning and death, per the CPSC.
The CPSC estimates that about 2,400 magnet ingestions were treated in emergency rooms from 2017 through 2021. "CPSC is aware of seven deaths involving the ingestion of hazardous magnets, including two outside of the United States," the agency said.
Small magnet toys previously banned
Toys with high-powered magnets were banned by the CPSC in 2014 due to these hazards, but the ban was lifted in 2016 — since then, research has showed a sharp rise in magnet-related injuries among children, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
The AAP recommends families with children do not keep any high-powered magnet sets in the home and if they do, to keep the sets locked away in a place where children cannot access them.
Consumers who purchased recalled magnetic ball sets can contact Joybuy to return the product for a refund, CPSC said.
Joybuy did not immediately respond to NBC News' request for comment.
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
