buckyball magnet toys now banned in USA due to..

[SandEagle]

..you guessed it, kids swallowing magnetic balls.

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/07/26/cpsc-bans-sale-buckyballs-magnetic-toys-cites-hazard/

relevant:
http://www.theonion.com/articles/fun-toy-banned-because-of-three-stupid-dead-kids,290/

 

[Anubis]

can we ban pennies and dimes as well, kids swallow those all the fing time as well

 

[nonameo]

can we ban pennies and dimes as well, kids swallow those all the fing time as well

yeah but magnets can pinch if they attract eachother inside the gut

 

[ViRGE]

can we ban pennies and dimes as well, kids swallow those all the fing time as well

Pennies and dimes won't kill you. Two buckyballs ripping through your intestines will.

They're fun magnets, but they're absolutely dangerous. And no one is going to consider a magnet anything but a child's toy, which is why children keep getting them even though they're meant for ages 13+.

 

[SandEagle]

yeah but magnets can pinch if they attract eachother inside the gut

i didnt read the article. but if what you say is true...then maybe a recall is needed. im going to order some from ebay though just in case they become a collector item

 

[nonameo]

i didnt read the article. but if what you say is true...then maybe a recall is needed. im going to order some from ebay though just in case they become a collector item

Well, I mean... think about it. As long as they come close enough... I'm sure there are places in the gut where that can happen, just depends on how strong the magnets are. If they're those cheap ceramic ones vs the neodymium, then its probably not that big of an issue. But I'm guessing they're the neodymium ones, I don't think regular old ceramic magnets would be strong enough to make a good toy.

 

[ViRGE]

just depends on how strong the magnets are. [...] But I'm guessing they're the neodymium ones,

Bingo, they're neodymium magnets.

 

[SlitheryDee]

Yeah I imagine two buckyballs swallowed a few minutes apart could easily end up attracting each other across a fold in the intestinal wall. I guess there might be no way short of surgery to get them out after that. *shudder*

 

[OCNewbie]

http://www.theonion.com/articles/fun-toy-banned-because-of-three-stupid-dead-kids,290/

I so love that article.

 

[vshah]

just bought some from ebay in case.

 

[sourceninja]

Seems to me, rather than ban the balls, you charge the adult that gave the kids something clearly labeled as dangerous to kids with reckless endangerment and child abuse.

Would we ban booze because kids were dying from drinking underage? Ban lighters because kids might burn their house down.

I'm so sick of shitty parents affecting my life. I want the government to require a test for breeding.

 

[gorcorps]

Damn, I never got myself any. Or the other brands.

 

[vi edit]

Seems to me, rather than ban the balls, you charge the adult that gave the kids something clearly labeled as dangerous to kids with reckless endangerment and child abuse.

It's easy to blame the parents...it really is. But a parent can only do so much sometimes, especially if there are other kids in the house. I could have my house absolutely perfectly childproofed for my 7 month old. Not a single thing anywhere within reach and all it takes is for me to turn my back or put dishes away and my 4 year old could have brought a Barbie shoe from her room and dropped it on the floor or accidently broke a bracelet with little beads on it all over the floor near the infant.

Parents aren't superhuman and no matter how much you try to reinforce to other children in the house that they have to keep little objects away from the baby shit still happens.

I'm not making excuses, simply saying that parents can't prevent everything.

 

[Icepick]

I told my co-worker to hold onto his and when a shortage arises sell them on craigslist for profit.

On the other hand, the news source for this is Fox "News." The Fox News article states that, "The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) ordered a halt to sale of Buckyballs magnetic toys on Wednesday"

The Buckyballs website, http://www.getbuckyballs.com/, states, "A government agency (the Consumer Product Safety Commission) is saying they should be recalled"

So are they now officially banned or is this only a recommendation for a ban on sale of them?

 

[Exterous]

I am not really sure why we need this ban:

2.2 million units sold and the report is that 'more than a dozen' incidents reported. So....lets take that nebulous 'more than a dozen' and make it 500. That means that there is a 0.022% chance that someone will get injured from one. Do we really need to ban something that has a 0.022% chance of injuring someone? That is really small and we would need to ban a whole shitload more of things if that is the case. Hell you have a much higher chance of being in a school shooting (~0.04% per year) than getting injured by these. And its not like your kid is dead either - swallowing one is a perfectly survivable (although inconvenient and potentially expensive) incident

For a comparison, sports injure about 3.5 million children under 14 every year.

 

[JTsyo]

Picked up a pack at buy.com

 

[vi edit]

swallowing one is a perfectly survivable (although inconvenient and potentially expensive) incident

One's not really the problem. It's two or more. They get into your GI track and can pinch together the small intestines creating bowel obstructions that require surgery at best, or can be fatal at worst.

Bucky Balls are nothing new in this though. Kids (and pets for that matter) swallowing magnets have been problems for years. Bucky Balls just are magnets that look like candy and are easy to swallow.

But overall I agree with your point. The shit we ban for the relatively small impact on the number of people using the product is pretty crazy.

 

[DrPizza]

F.U. CPSC. I want my neodymium magnets. And, I want my Jarts back!

 

[lxskllr]

I got a 2 pack from Woot last year. I gave one to my daughter for xmas, and kept the other. They're pretty fun, but spendy if you get them from a regular store.

 

[amdhunter]

It looks like they are still fulfilling orders.

 

[CPA]

Pennies and dimes won't kill you. Two buckyballs ripping through your intestines will.

They're fun magnets, but they're absolutely dangerous. And no one is going to consider a magnet anything but a child's toy, which is why children keep getting them even though they're meant for ages 13+.

then we should just ban all rare magnets because this order to not stop the sale of other rare magnets, many of which are similar in size just different in shape.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

Damn.I really wanted to order some. They're so fun to play with

 

[lxskllr]

then we should just ban all rare magnets because this order to not stop the sale of other rare magnets, many of which are similar in size just different in shape.

How are we gonna get fun magnets when platter drives become obsolete? HDs are useful long after they're dead due to the fun magnets. I see an international crisis brewing, and hardly anyone is talking about it.

 

[sourceninja]

It's easy to blame the parents...it really is. But a parent can only do so much sometimes, especially if there are other kids in the house. I could have my house absolutely perfectly childproofed for my 7 month old. Not a single thing anywhere within reach and all it takes is for me to turn my back or put dishes away and my 4 year old could have brought a Barbie shoe from her room and dropped it on the floor or accidently broke a bracelet with little beads on it all over the floor near the infant.

Parents aren't superhuman and no matter how much you try to reinforce to other children in the house that they have to keep little objects away from the baby shit still happens.

I'm not making excuses, simply saying that parents can't prevent everything.

It's easy to blame the parents in this case because it is 100% the fault of the parents. The parents are the one's buying kids a 'toy' that CLEARLY states it is not for children. This would be no different then buying your 4 year a bottle of sleeping pills as toys. If another kid's parents is doing this, I'd suggest you police that kid and not let him hang with your kid. If that kid still manages to hang with your kid and your kid eats the magnets, then I suggest the other kids parents be charged with reckless endangerment for buying their kids something that CLEARLY states is not to be given to children. Finally, if you can't trust your teenagers not to give these to small children, then don't let them own any either.

The fact is the only way children can be harmed by these balls is if a parent fails to be a parent and allows their children to own these balls. The same argument for banning Mature and Adult games. The only way kids can get their hands on these is for an adult to be irresponsible. That adult should be punished rather than punishing everyone else.

 

[FuzzyDunlop]

eff this. Poor parenting is to blame. nanny state ftl.