By Debbie Cai
Overstock.com Inc. (OSTK) and Toys "R" Us Inc. are the latest
retailers recalling certain toy magnet sets due to concerns that
the magnets might cause internal injury when ingested, the Consumer
Product Safety Commission said.
The recall was for 'Buckyballs' high-powered magnet sets that
contained silver-colored, spherical rare earth magnets, each about
five millimeters in diameter, according to the CPSC.
Monday's recall involved 539 magnet sets sold through
Overstock.com and retailers nationwide from November 2010 through
July 2012 for about $20. About 60 magnet sets were also recalled by
Toys "R" Us.
Friday, the CPSC said about three million sets of Buckyballs and
Buckycubes, cubed-shaped magnet sets, have been sold in U.S. retail
stores nationwide and online since 2010 for between $5 and $100.
They were manufactured in China and imported by Maxfield &
Oberton LLC, which has refused to participate in the recall.
Six other retailers are recalling the sets, namely Barnes &
Noble Inc. (BKS), Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (BBBY), Brookstone,
participating Hallmark retailers, Marbles the Brain Store, and
ThinkGeek.
Two or more magnets, when swallowed, might link together inside
a person's intestines and clamp onto body tissues, causing
intestinal obstructions, perforations, sepsis and death, the
statement said, adding that internal injury from magnets can pose
serious lifelong health effects, the CPSC said.
Customers who bought the toy sets are advised to seek a refund
through the retailers.
The CPSC had received 54 reports of incidents involving children
ingesting high-powered magnets resulting in 53 reports of medical
intervention.
Write to Debbie Cai at debbie.cai@dowjones.com
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