Novelty magnets banned

[fireheart17]

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/s...-1226456986563

Oh good lord. Whatever the fuck happened to, I dunno, PARENTING? Not to mention taking responsibility...maybe leave the balls out of harms way so that a toddler can't swallow them? And teenagers honestly should be knowing better....better yet, keep an eye on where they are while you're playing with them and put them away afterwards....

[draco664]

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/s...-1226456986563

Oh good lord. Whatever the fuck happened to, I dunno, PARENTING? Not to mention taking responsibility...maybe leave the balls out of harms way so that a toddler can't swallow them? And teenagers honestly should be knowing better....better yet, keep an eye on where they are while you're playing with them and put them away afterwards....

Right, well, I'd best get out there and buy some of them before the ban extends outside of South Australia.

I would never have considered spending money on such novelties, but if someone doesn't want me to have it, then by jove, I'm getting me some!

[Nekojin]

They were banned in the US as well - at least, at the retail level. We can still buy Buckyballs straight from the manufacturer.

[TheHuckster]

Thousands of toys that are marketed to children have a swallowing/choking hazard. Why on earth single out rare-earth magnets?! Using this logic, Monopoly game pieces, cleaning chemicals, Legos, and aspirin should all be banned because children have swallowed them as well.

Ugh, all because of a few isolated incidents which, as gruesome and horrifying as they are looking at X-Rays and descriptions of what's going on inside, is still not much less dangerous to toddlers than Draino and tiny game pieces.

[fireheart17]

They were banned in the US as well - at least, at the retail level. We can still buy Buckyballs straight from the manufacturer.

I've seen them on ThinkGeek as well.

[Andara Bledin]

I've seen them on ThinkGeek as well.

Think Geek not only pulled them, but issued notifications to everyone who bought them about the removal, and instructions on how to return them.

A lot of the problem here is that for an adult there is almost no danger, but for a small child, they're a notable risk, and since they're innocuous on their face, parents are less likely than typical to be proactive.

However, that said, I don't think banning the things is going to be much help, since you can still purchase them elsewhere, and those parents will still be mostly clueless about the dangers of magnets.

^-.-^

[HYHYBT]

Why is the solution to ban them rather than to slap a warning label on them and leave them on the shelves?

[radiocerk]

Admittedly, magnets are more than just a choking hazard. They can stick to each other in the GI tract, causing perforated intestines.

There were a set of small magnetic dolls that got pulled off the shelves a few years back because the magnets were causing the same problems.

[Nekojin]

Why is the solution to ban them rather than to slap a warning label on them and leave them on the shelves?

Part of the supposed hazard is that while yes, there is a warning label on the packaging, the toys themselves don't have any sort of warning labels, and the toys can be easily separated from the packaging.

I don't honestly think that this is a truly rigorous objection, and certainly not a cause to ban something wholesale, but it's not entirely HWFO, either.

[gremcint]

actually I'm kind of with them on this, kids will swallow anything. further there are certain sprinkles that look identical to these only smaller.

[TheHuckster]

Admittedly, magnets are more than just a choking hazard. They can stick to each other in the GI tract, causing perforated intestines.

Liquid Plumber can effectively cause perforated intestines, too. And many other objects both inside and outside can cause major injury if consumed.

Part of the supposed hazard is that while yes, there is a warning label on the packaging, the toys themselves don't have any sort of warning labels, and the toys can be easily separated from the packaging.

The warning label on the packaging is supposed to prevent the parent from buying the item in the first place. Are you saying the parent looks at the packaging at the store, buys it, and then takes the item out of the packaging and forgets about the warning?

Once again, I ask: Why would rare earth magnets be treated any differently than something else which isn't recommended for young kids due to risk of swallowing? Shouldn't we be banning small lithium batteries, hard candy, vitamins, and other objects that could require an emergency room visit if swallowed?

[siead_lietrathua]

i agree with the above. if you leave a kid around small objects unattended of any kind, it has a possibility of being eaten, be it magnets, mothballs, or rocks. (teens eating magnets sounds like a dare, or a dumbass, and should be disregarded)

[Nekojin]

Part of the supposed hazard is that while yes, there is a warning label on the packaging, the toys themselves don't have any sort of warning labels, and the toys can be easily separated from the packaging.

The warning label on the packaging is supposed to prevent the parent from buying the item in the first place. Are you saying the parent looks at the packaging at the store, buys it, and then takes the item out of the packaging and forgets about the warning?

Hey, I didn't say that I agree with them. Just that this is the reasoning used, at least by the American agency, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

Once again, I ask: Why would rare earth magnets be treated any differently than something else which isn't recommended for young kids due to risk of swallowing? Shouldn't we be banning small lithium batteries, hard candy, vitamins, and other objects that could require an emergency room visit if swallowed?

More or less the same reasoning given by Wired.

[draco664]

Well, my magnets arrived, and I must say that playing with them is thoroughly addictive.

I have them attached to my metal in tray at my desk at work (I've got 4 & 5 year old daughters at home), and just about everyone who stops by *has* to pick them up and fiddle. It's brilliant.