Blog: Magnets Are Not Candy

Posted by: Anthony Green at Apr 27, 2012 12:00 AM CDT

Keywords: Advocacy, Education

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We very recently released a study about how important it is that parents and caregivers keep their medications up and away from their children, “Safe Storage, Safe Dosing, Safe Kids.” One of the important points from the report is that kids are curious and some medications look like candy.  What happens next? They swallow them.

Magnets might look like candy, too, but they can be very dangerous. Kids also get the idea that placing magnets on both sides of one’s tongue can copycat a body piercing.  Our New Orleans chapter alerted us about a case at the New Orleans Children’s Hospital of the ingestion of “Neocubes” by a 2-year-old, Braylon Jordan. Doctors found a blood clot that caused serious damage to his entire small intestine. Braylon is now getting his food through a tube and may require an intestinal transplant which is a difficult surgery, especially in children.

There was a recent case in Portland, Oregon in which 3-year-old Payton Bushnell swallowed 37 super-magnets called Buckyballs. The magnets formed a heavy circle in Payton’s stomach and then tore three holes in her intestines.

Here are some tips on preventing magnet poisoning and about symptoms from the Consumer Product Safety Commission:

• Keep small magnets and small pieces containing magnets away from young children.

• Look out for loose magnet pieces – regularly inspect toys and children’s play areas for missing or dislodged magnets.

• If you have magnets on your refrigerator and other appliances, take them off or put them way up high.

• If your child may have eaten some magnets, look for abdominal symptoms such as abdominal pains, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

• In X-rays, multiple magnetic pieces may appear as a single object.

The CPSC has issued alerts about the super-magnets and has a video about magnet poisoning on its website.

Learn more

• Household Poison Prevention Tips
• The Battery Controlled
• The Medication Safety Guide

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