The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has approved new rules for high-powered magnet sets to further protect the safety of young children and teenagers.
Under the new national safety standard, an individual magnet from a high-powered magnet set must either be larger than the CPSC small parts cylinder standard, or have a magnetic force less than a specified measure. The new national safety standard will apply to high powered magnet sets manufactured or imported into the U.S. on or after April 1, 2015.
High-powered magnet sets contain approximately 200 magnets on average, although some sets may contain as many as 1700 magnets. If multiple magnets are swallowed, they can combine in the digestive track, pinching or trapping intestines or other digestive tissues, potentially leading to serious injury and even death. The CPSC estimates that emergency rooms around the country treated about 2900 injuries related to swallowed magnets during the period between 2009 and 2013.
Read additional information about the CPSC’s new safety standard for high-powered magnet sets.
