The Mom Column

This is an old story but worth revisiting as I am sure many kids still have this toy in the closet or for the matter we all probably have some sort of magnet in our house.  A few years back there were reports about the dangers of Magnetix, a toy with round marble-like magnets.  Toddlers were swallowing these and dying because the magnets can attract to each other inside the body and block off or perforate the intestines.  Here is the story that ran on NBC:

From NBC:  A 20-month-old boy died after he swallowed magnets that twisted his small intestine and created a blockage, federal officials said. Three other children, between the ages of 3 and 8, suffered intestinal perforations that required surgery and hospitalization in intensive care. And a 5-year-old boy inhaled two magnets that had to be surgically removed from his lungs.