PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) – Thousands of sets of high-powered magnetic balls are being recalled after the toys were found to be too small and too strong to comply with “mandatory federal magnet regulation,” the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced Thursday.
The magnetic toys, of which an estimated 4,240 sets were sold, pose a serious risk of injury if ingested, the CPSC said.
“When high-powered magnets are swallowed, the ingested magnets can attract to each other, or to another metal object, and become lodged in the digestive system. This can result in perforations, twisting and/or blockage of the intestines, infection, blood poisoning, and death,” reads the CPSC’s recall notice.
The balls — marketed under the name “Relax 5mm Science Kit, Large Hematite Magnets Magnetic Stones Building Blocks” — were sold exclusively on Walmart.com between Feb. 2022 and April 2023 through a company called Joybuy. They were also advertised as “Colorful Magnetic Balls Cube,” according to product images shared by the CPSC.
No injuries have been linked to these specific Relax magnetic balls, though the CPSC said that similar toys have been linked to around 2,400 hospitalizations in the U.S. between 2017 and 2021.
The ingestion of hazardous magnets has also been tied to at least seven deaths that the agency is aware of.
Consumers who may have purchased the magnets are urged to take them away from children and stop using them “immediately,” according to the CPSC’s notice. Purchasers can also return the item to Joybuy for a full refund.
Those with additional questions can contact Joybuy by phone at 302-426-4543, Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT. Consumers can also email the business at oversea-service@jd.com.
