More kids are swallowing magnets, despite stricter safety rules

By Keerthana Pakanati & MD

Despite more safety rules, kids around the world continue swallowing magnets, and the United States tops the list.

Magnet swallowing has posed a danger to kids in the U.S. for over a decade. Ingestions dropped in 2014 after the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission banned high-powered magnet sets. But when the ban was overturned in 2016, cases rose again, especially among kids under age 14, according to a new study published Tuesday in the medical journal BMJ Injury Prevention.

To better protect kids, the CPSC in 2022 set strict rules on the size and strength of loose magnets. The agency banned small magnets that can fit in a child's airway if they have a strong magnetic pull, which is measured with something called a flux index.

A flux index of 50 or higher means the magnet is powerful enough to cause serious internal injuries if swallowed.

The new study found that the U.S. reported between 522 and 2,000 magnet ingestion cases each year. These numbers may reflect both better reporting and easier access to magnets, but they likely still underestimate the true total.

The findings suggest that the 2022 safety regulations may not go far enough, Dr. Alexandra Jones, a general surgery resident at UC Davis Health and author of the study, told ABC News.

Huizeng Hu/Getty Images

Stock photo of magnetic beads.

"It's not just about the size of the magnet, but the strength of the magnet is important too," Jones said. "And for magnets within toys, if you break the toy, you expose the magnets inside."

It is imperative to recognize the serious implications of magnet ingestions for children, Jones added.

While a single magnet may eventually pass through a child's body on its own, ingesting multiple magnets carries a high risk of serious complications including intestinal obstruction or rupture, which in the most extreme cases can lead to death.

Experts say magnets should be removed right away if they're stuck in the esophagus and quickly taken out of the stomach if more than one is swallowed or if symptoms like belly pain, vomiting or fever appear. These signs could mean the magnets are causing serious internal damage.

Prevention is the best approach, according to Dr. Jade Cobern, a board-certified pediatrician and preventive medicine physician and a fellow with the ABC News Medical Unit.

"Part of the reason this keeps happening it that it's normal for many young kids to put things in their mouth as they are exploring their environment, which makes it so important for parents to regularly survey their child's environment for anything that kids can access and swallow," Cobern said. "If these magnets are in a child's environment, there is a risk they will accidently swallow one or more of them."

Even though many parents and caregivers perceive high-powered magnets as toys appropriate for children, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends they be kept out of children's reach, particularly children under 14 years of age.

The AAP suggests warning labels alone are insufficient, as most adults are unaware of them or don't read them carefully, if at all.

"We want to increase public, parental and educator awareness of these dangers," Jones said.

Both the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the AAP warn that swallowing magnets can cause serious harm and urge health care providers to recognize the risks. They say stronger prevention efforts and stricter limits on the sale of toys that include small, powerful magnets are needed to reduce the growing number of injuries among children.

Dr. Keerthana Pakanati is a cardiovascular disease fellow at Virginia Mason Franciscan Health and a member of the ABC News Medical Unit.