Consumer Affairs is urging parents to keep high-powered magnet toys away from young children, which can cause serious harm if swallowed.
Sets of these small powerful magnets contain numerous – sometimes up to 1000 – identical and usually round magnets, approximately four to six millimetres in size. They are sold in stores and online under a variety of brand names, and are marketed as desk toys and puzzles for adults. These magnets are very strong and most are Neodymium-Iron-Boron or NIB, sometimes referred to as rare earth magnets. It is the strength of these magnets that allow them to be connected into intricate three-dimensional shapes.
Though harmless to play with, when ingested or inhaled they become attracted to each other. If, for example, they are in the digestive tract it can lead to serious internal blockages and damage that in some cases can require major surgery. While there have been no reported cases of children ingesting these types of magnets in New Zealand, there have been reported cases of serious harm in Australia and the United States, including some deaths.
While very young children may swallow the magnets out of curiosity, there have been cases of older children using them to mimic body piercing jewellery, including a mock-tongue stud.
Consumer Affairs, within the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, is currently investigating this issue as a matter of urgency and will be looking at what measures might be required to effect controls on the sale and supply of these magnets sets.
We urge anyone owning or thinking of buying one of these sets to ensure young children are not able to gain access to them and that older children are made very aware of the dangers of misusing these products.