• 11
  Nov
  2011

• Medical Cases from Ball-Bearing Magnets in Toys Increasing

  
  Filed Under: Blogging
  Author: YourGuy

Washington has released a warning for parents about magnets found in adult toys or desktop items which children could ingest without parents’ knowledge. In 2009, there was only one reported incident. Last year, this number increased to 7 and this year, it’s expected to go up again. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) says that families traveling to the US have to be careful especially with children below 15 years old. Removing the magnet will require surgery and without international travel insurance, it’s an expensive process. At least with international health insurance, you can have your children x-rayed before leaving the country if you suspect anything.
CPSC advises that these ball-bearing magnets are so small; it’s like taking a pill. The magnets can cause a hole in a major organ or lead to blood poisoning. If more than one is ingested, they can stick together and create a massive blockage in the intestines. Symptoms are flu-like or can mimic a simple cold.
Among teenagers it happens when they experiment with the magnets and pretend they pierced their tongues. They then accidentally swallow the magnets and avoid telling their parents for fear of a backlash. If a cold cannot be treated and the flu does not seem to be getting better, then request for an x-ray. 

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