When it comes to children, parents have to look out for several factors that can cause bodily harm and even death when it comes to toys. Parents now have another item to add to the list.
Many modern toys have several magnets installed, and usually these newer magnets are stronger compared to normal magnets. Because of the rising popularity of these magnetic toys, cases of children swallowing magnets have also increased. Several children have suffered serious injuries, and parents are being warned that, in rare cases, swallowing magnet can be fatal.
Researchers claim that over 2,700 children were admitted to The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada for foreign substance ingestion. The study took into account data gathered from 2002 to 2012, and this is only from a single hospital in Canada.
"With the inclusion of smaller, spherical magnets in children's toys, we are seeing an increased number of visits to the hospital for surgeries to remove them from the gastrointestinal tract," said Matt Strickland, one of the authors of the research. "Today's magnets are also 20 times more powerful than older magnets, with the potential to cause more damage."
During the 2002 to 2009 and the 2010 to 2012 period, magnet ingestion has risen 10 fold, which should be a great cause for concern. During the 2010 to 2012 period, 6 children needed surgery for magnet ingestion, and this number is expected to rise as more toys come out on the market with tiny magnets inside.
"With the smaller magnets, children tend to ingest multiple pieces, which can adhere to one another as they travel through the bowel," Strickland said. "They can also attract other magnets in the gastrointestinal tract and tear a hole in the bowel."
Unfortunately, some children who have swallowed magnets do not show any symptoms right away. Moreover, by the time they do, the damage would have already been done, and only surgery can set things right again.
Toys with magnetic parts are here to stay and there's not much that can be done about it. However, parents need to educate themselves about magnet ingestion, and purchase non-magnetic toys whenever possible.
