Recall Issued Over Magnetic Ball Toy Sets

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recently shared several warnings over high-powered magnetic balls found in toy sets in department stores like Target and Walmart. Seven deaths have been reported alongside thousands of hospital visits. The CPSC estimated that at least 2,400 ingestions of magnetic balls were treated in hospital emergency room departments from 2017 to 2021. The agency said that they are aware of 7 deaths that have been caused by the magnetic balls.

The CPSC said that the magnetic balls were more powerful than is permitted and that the size of the ball was small enough to fit in a small child’s throat. In December 2023, a recall was issued for one of the products, XpressGoods’ “Colorful Metal Neodymium Magic Magnetic Balls – 8 color, 5mm.” About 728 units were recalled as part of the effort to get these products off the market.

The CPSC said that anyone with the product should immediately stop using it. Consumers can contact XpressGoods to receive a prepaid label to return the recalled products for a full refund or store credit.

Other magnetic ball sets included in the CPSC’s warning 

Multiple warnings have been posted about similar magnetic ball sets including at least four sold exclusively on Temu.com. These include:

• Magic QQ’s 216-Piece Mixed Color Magnetic Ball Sets,
• Allvre’s 216-Piece 5mm Magnetic Ball Sets,
• Sunny House’s 125-Piece 5mm Mixed Color Magnetic Ball Sets,
• Ming Tai Trade’s 216-Piece 5mm Magnetic Ball Sets

The CPSC issued a “Notice of Violation” to the sellers, most of whom originate in China, but the sellers refused to issue a recall or offer refunds to customers. Most of the products were sold online through various online marketplaces. Temu issued a statement saying that it was shocked to learn about the potential hazard created by the magnetic balls and banned the sellers who refused to recall the products from their online marketplace. Temu said it would cover the costs of refunding the products that the vendor refused to reimburse. Similar products continue to be sold on Amazon.

Magnetic balls result in choking hazard for children 

In this case, the vendors could be sued by parents whose children have been injured or killed as a result of the magnetic balls. The balls do not comply with CPSC guidelines based on the strength of the magnets and the size of the balls. The CPSC conducts tests on various consumer products, especially for children, and uses an apparatus to determine whether or not the product will be a choking hazard for small children. In this case, the tests showed that the magnetic balls did pose a choking hazard.

Talk to a Florida Product Liability Lawyer Today 

The Florida product liability lawyers at Halpern, Santos & Pinkert represent the interests of consumers in lawsuits filed against companies that created dangerous or defective products. Call our office today to schedule a free consultation and learn more about how we can help you recover damages related to any injuries you suffer as a result of a defective product.

Source:

fox10phoenix.com/news/toy-magnetic-balls-7-deaths-us-recall-warnings-cpsc