The number of children swallowing dangerous magnets is surging, The Washington Post is reporting.
Specifically, the newspaper cites kids ingesting rare-earth magnets – tiny magnetic balls that have become a popular desk toy. The magnets can shred a child’s intestines, according to the Post.
And the newspaper noted the number of children ingesting the magnets has soared in the last three years after courts stopped federal regulators from forcing changes in the industry.
About 1,600 cases of magnet ingestions were recorded as poison control centers in the U.S. this year – six times more than were reported in 2016.
The newspaper said magnet industry officials have started a new voluntary effort to prevent injuries and deaths. But safety groups and regulators have been drowned out by the magnet manufacturers, the Post said.
And generally, the Consumer Product Safety Commission can’t act until the voluntary standards have proved inadequate.
“It makes our jobs harder to have to defer by law to an extremely inefficient and industry-focused process,” said Elliot Kaye, a CPSC commissioner.
The voluntary standards process, he said, “has cost lives.”
The magnet manufacturers have said they don’t want to change the utility, functionality and desirability of the product for adults, the Post noted. The magnet makers want to rely on written warnings and packaging designs.
Bryan Rudolph, a pediatric gastroenterologist, said: “This is one of the most dangerous products on the market. These injuries are gruesome.”
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.