Tiny magnetic balls sold at Walmart are being recalled after the Consumer Product Safety Commission reported several deaths and hospitalizations related to similar products.
According to the recall issued by CPSC on Thursday, Relax Magnetic Stones Building Blocks were sold exclusively at Walmart in sets of 216 multicolor balls measuring 5mm apiece.
More than 4,200 kits of the product are being recalled, CPSC said.
The commission said it estimates 2,500 people were sent to the emergency room over magnet ingestions from 2017-2021. It also registered seven deaths, with two occurring outside the United States.
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"When high-powered magnets are swallowed, the ingested magnets can attract to each other, or to another metal object, and become lodged in the digestive system," CPSC said. "This can result in perforations, twisting and/or blockage of the intestines, infection, blood poisoning, and death."
The magnetic balls cost $14 to $15 and were sold by the company Joybuy from February 2022 through April 2023, according to the recall.
CPSC urged anyone with the product to take it away from children and to stop using it immediately.
To receive a full refund, CPSC asks anyone who bought the kits to contact Joybuy to receive a pre-paid label to return the product and receive a full refund.
Consumers should stop using the recalled magnetic balls immediately, take them away from children and contact Joybuy to receive a pre paid label to return the recalled products for a full refund. Joybuy is notifying all known purchasers directly.
