As reported by The Washington Post, the number of children ingesting rare-earth magnets — often made into desktop toys — has skyrocketed in the last three years. When ingested, these tiny magnets are capable of shredding a child’s intestines as they are often 10 times stronger than ordinary magnets. As The Post notes, “if multiple rare-earth magnets — each the size of a BB pellet — are swallowed, they can pull together inside the intestines, potentially causing life-threatening holes and blockages that most often require emergency surgery.”
U.S. poison control centers have announced they are on track to record six times the incidence of magnet ingestions this year than in 2016, totaling nearly 1,600 cases. The influx of cases follows a 2016 federal court ruling that effectively blocked regulators from banning these products.
Consumers who own or have purchased rare-earth magnets are warned to keep them away from young children or out of the home altogether.
Read the full article on The Washington Post’s site.
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Infants and children are injured and die each year because of faulty toys and products or negligent conduct. Lieff Cabraser’s personal injury attorneys are committed to influencing safety improvements in all industries that negatively impact the health and welfare of children, including toy and magnet injuries. If your child was seriously injured by a product, please contact an experienced personal injury attorney at Lieff Cabraser. Lieff Cabraser has successfully litigated cases on behalf of parents of injured children across America. We will review your claim for free, confidentially, and with no obligation on your part.
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