Deadly Science of Toys
Since 2003, at least one U.S. child has died and 19 others have needed surgery after accidentally swallowing magnets used in toys, the government reported last week. Most of those cases were believed to involve tiny but strong "rare earth" magnets that can link together in children's digestive tracts, blocking and even perforating the intestines, the researchers said.
Tiny Magnets Pose Big Threat
The magnets, made from neodymium iron boron or other compounds, have become common in the U.S. toy market in the past five years because they have become cheaper, commonly found building sets, action figures and dolls.
Kenny Sweet, a 20-month-old boy from Redmond, Wash., died two days after he began complaining of stomach aches and was vomiting. An autopsy found nine small magnets stacked together. They had caused a twisting of the bowel and a blood infection. The magnets had come off a building set belonging to Kenny's 10-year-old brother, according to his family's attorneys. Mega Brands Inc. recalled 3.8 million Magnetix building sets, added warning labels and agreed to pay $13.5 million to settle lawsuits
Lead Common in Children's Jewelry
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has recommended a ban on lead in children's metal jewelry, citing the risk of lead poisoning. The proposal is subject to public comment and would require approval by the full commission, which is scheduled to vote this week.
Lead paint in older homes remains the top cause of lead poisoning in children. But the potential for children to ingest lead by sucking on or swallowing toy jewelry has led to 14 recalls of more than 160 million items since 2004. The most recent recall occurred last week when more than 50,000 Children’s Mood Necklaces and Diva Necklaces were voluntarily recalled by the manufacturer, Really Useful Products Inc., of Darien, Ill.
Lead is an inexpensive metal which adds weight to toy jewelry. But if ingested, even in small amounts, lead can harm brain development. Toy jewelry containing lead can be found in vending machines, dollar stores, department stores, and big-box retailers.
In rare cases, lead poisoning from toy jewelry can be fatal. In March, Reebok recalled 300,000 promotional charm bracelets after the death of Jarnell Brown, a 4-year-old Minneapolis boy. He had swallowed a charm that was 99 percent lead.
The proposal was in response to a petition from the Sierra Club requesting a ban on all toy jewelry containing lead. The CPSC staff recommended that the agency prohibit any piece of metal jewelry with lead content exceeding 0.06 percent.