Zen Magnets and Neoballs Recalled Due to Risk of Injury and Death

While most recalls are done voluntarily—with the company and the CPSC working together to remove the products from the market and out of homes—in this case, Zen did not agree to a voluntary recall, so the CPSC sued the company to force a mandatory recall.

Today’s announcement marks the latest action in a yearslong battle between the magnet industry and the CPSC and safety advocates.

The magnets, which are made from neodymium, are much stronger than the average refrigerator magnet, which can make them appealing to play with but also particularly dangerous if ingested. Once swallowed, they can be pulled together and cause blockages or holes in the intestines, among other injuries.

Doctors have long warned about the risks of the magnets, especially when they get into the hands of children. Young children may swallow them unknowingly, while older children and teens have been known to use the magnets as pretend tongue piercings before swallowing them accidentally.

“For more than a decade, Zen Magnets fought the CPSC and medical societies like the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition, while children continued to be grievously injured,” says Bryan Rudolph, MD, a pediatric gastroenterologist, an associate professor at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore in the Bronx borough of New York City, and a spokesperson for the medical society. “Today’s recall action should be taken seriously by anyone who owns these high-powered magnet products, especially if there’s any possibility children could come into contact with them.”

Despite warnings on the Zen Magnets and Neoballs, “kids will continue to swallow things,” Rudolph says. “The majority of kids who swallow high-powered magnets will require endoscopic removal or surgery.”

From 2009 to 2018, there were two deaths in the U.S. and at least an estimated 4,500 magnet-related cases treated in U.S. hospital emergency departments for ingestions of magnets such as those found in magnet sets. Most of the cases involved children 11 months to 16 years old, according to the CPSC.

Zen Magnets founder Shihan Qu told Consumer Reports that the company has been offering a voluntary recall since 2016, “allowing customers to return magnets for a refund for any reason, including if they didn’t feel safe with them, didn’t think they could keep them from being swallowed, or was unable to understand why they are dangerous or didn’t like the name Zen Magnets.”

To protect children from serious magnet ingestion injuries and deaths, follow these tips.

• Warn young children and teens to never put magnets in their mouth or nose to mimic piercings. Explain that this can lead to accidental ingestion of the magnets and serious injury.
• Look for loose magnetic pieces if you think any are in your home. Also regularly inspect toys and children’s play areas for dislodged magnets.
• Watch out for these symptoms of magnet ingestion: abdominal pains, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. But note that in some cases, symptoms won’t appear until there has been serious internal injury.
• Go to the emergency department or urgent care clinic for an X-ray if you suspect your child has swallowed a magnet.