Taking Rare Earth Magnet Toys Off Store Shelves: Safe Kids Weighs In

This week, Safe Kids Worldwide weighed in on an important issue concerning children. And we brought 62 of our closest friends with us.

With the support of 62 coalitions, including Children’s National Medical Center and more than 20 pediatric medical centers, Safe Kids President and CEO Kate Carr wrote a letter to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to support a new federal regulation that would prohibit the sale of rare earth magnets such as Buckyballs.

Smaller than the size of a pea, rare earth magnets are commonly marketed as a stress reliever for adults. The problem is, young kids are playing with them as well and when two or more of these powerful magnets are swallowed, they can cause serious injury to a child’s gastrointestinal system.

Last April, Braylon Jordan, a healthy 2-year-old child from Mississippi, swallowed six magnets. Two months and six surgeries later, most of his small intestines have been removed.

After learning about kids like Braylon, Safe Kids determined that taking these products off the market was the right thing to do. As we said in our comment letter, “It is ironic that a product marketed as a stress reliever can cause so much stress.”