Doctors seek ban on tiny magnets swallowed by children

They look harmless enough at first glance, but the tiny magnets sold as toys are causing an increasing number of serious medical complications in children who swallow them, a pediatrics group says.

In a survey of its members, a pediatrics specialty group said that out of one sample of 123 cases, 8 out of 10 required medical treatment, and nearly 30 percent required surgery. Saying that the magnets had no social purpose other than entertainment, the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition called for a ban on sales of the items, sometimes marketed as Buckyballs.

Most companies marketing the magnets have voluntarily withdrawn them, but one of the main distributors, Maxfield & Oberton of New York, has refused.

The problems with the powerful magnets come when children swallow more than one and they end up in different parts of the gastrointestinal tract. When they pull toward each other, they can form sores on the lining of the stomach or intestine, and can perforate them.

At Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, there have been about two cases a year of children swallowing magnets that resulted in surgery, said Barbara Gaines, director of trauma and injury prevention.

The pediatrics group's survey showed that most of the children who swallowed the magnets were between 1 and 6, but 34 percent were 6 to 12, partly because "tweeners" use the magnets as fake piercings, putting them on either side of their lips or tongues.

Andrew Frank, a spokesman for Maxfield & Oberton, said Buckyballs are intended for adults, come with warnings on the packaging, and should not be banned simply because some children accidentally swallow them.