NEW YORK (AP) — The Consumer Product and Safety Commission is warning people to immediately dispose of a magnetic game because it poses a serious ingestion hazard for children.
The CPSC issued a warning Thursday that China-based seller JOMO’s “magnetic chess sets” contain magnets that do not meet U.S. safety standards. As a result, “the loose, dangerous magnets pose a risk of serious injury or death,” the warning said.
The CPSC said it served JOMO with a notice of violation, but the company did not agree to recall its magnetic chess sets or provide a remedy. The commission urged people to stop using the game and throw it away immediately.
The games were sold online at walmart.com in a blue box with the word “Magnetic” on the front and back, according to the CPSC. They contain about 20 loose black magnets, but no chess pieces as the advertisements suggest.
It is unclear when and for how long these games were sold. A CPSC spokesperson said the commission could not provide further information because JOMO was not cooperating.
Experts have long been aware of the serious health risks associated with ingesting magnets, and children are particularly at risk. The CPSC has pointed out that if swallowed, high-power magnets can attract each other or other metal objects in the body and become lodged in the digestive system. This can lead to blockages, infections, blood poisoning, or death.
Overall, the CPSC estimates that a total of 2,400 cases of magnet swallowing were treated in hospitals each year between 2017 and 2021. The commission said it was aware of eight related deaths between 2005 and 2021, two of which occurred outside the United States.
