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Toy Magnet Sets Linked to 7 Deaths, 2,400 Hospitalizations

Many sets still available for purchase

Aaron Kassraie

En español

Published December 11, 2023

two made in china cube toys made up of tiny magnetic balls have been recalled for choking hazard

Courtesy Magic QQ and Allvre

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a warning against high-powered magnetic ball toy sets because they pose a risk of serious injury or death if the magnets are ingested by children.

From 2017 to 2021, there were 2,400 emergency room visits and seven deaths linked to these magnets, the agency estimated.

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Testing determined that the magnets’ excessive strength failed to meet federal toy regulations. When ingested, high-powered magnets may attract to one another or another metal object, and lead to potential complications such as intestinal perforations, twisting, blockages, infection, blood poisoning and death.

The sets consist of small, colorful, spherical magnetic balls, each measuring approximately 5 millimeters.

Xpressgoods.com, based in Raleigh, North Carolina, is the only company that has recalled its magnetic ball set. About 728 of its Metal Neodymium Magic Magnetic Balls, manufactured in China, were recalled. The toys were sold online from July 2021 to May 2022 for approximately $30. Consumers may contact XpressGoods to receive a prepaid label to return the product and obtain a full refund or store credit.

The other magnet sets cautioned by CPSC are:

Allvre 216-piece Magnetic Ball Set sold at Temu.com
Carrara Magnet Ball Set sold at myKmarket.com
Magic QQ 216-piece Mixed Color Magnet Ball Set sold at Temu.com
Ming Tai Trade 216-piece Magnet Ball Set sold at Temu.com
Sunny House 125-piece Mixed Color Magnetic Ball Set sold at Temu.com

Four of these manufacturers are based in China and one in South Korea. They have not offered any recalls or other remedies to consumers.

Any accidents that cause injury or product defects should be reported to CPSC at SaferProducts.gov.

Aaron Kassraie writes about issues important to military veterans and their families for AARP. He also serves as a general assignment reporter. Kassraie previously covered U.S. foreign policy as a correspondent for the Kuwait News Agency’s Washington bureau and worked in news gathering for USA Today and Al Jazeera English. 