Safety alerts on super strong magnets were issued in response to growing concern about serious injuries to children, the Child Accident Prevention Trust (CAPT) reported on 16 May 2022. The alerts cover both product safety and the treatment of children who have swallowed magnets.
The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), described by CAPT as the UK's national product safety regulator, reminded businesses and online platforms that they must identify and remove products containing small magnets from the market if they breach safety requirements1. Businesses and retail platforms must also ensure clear warnings are included with any products containing magnets where there is a risk of a child swallowing them, and OPSS is working with local authority trading standards to take action against any products with unsafe magnets that could be swallowed by a child1. CAPT said products from overseas sellers on online marketplaces pose particular risks, as they may not follow UK safety standards on safe levels of magnetic strength1.
NHS England and the NHS Improvement National Patient Safety Team issued a joint National Patient Safety Alert highlighting the dangers of super strong magnets and the need for urgent assessment and treatment if a child has swallowed them1. The Royal College of Emergency Medicine has also issued best practice guidance on treating children who have swallowed super strong magnets1.
CAPT set out the mechanism of injury: if a child swallows the magnets, they stick together and cut off blood supply, causing tissue to die and effectively ripping holes in their intestines or bowels1. The charity published an account from the mother of a three-year-old boy describing the damage: "They burned holes in the intestines"1.
"We advise parents to stay on their guard and to take their child to hospital straight away if they think they may have swallowed magnets."
Why it matters for households
The alerts concern small, high-powered magnetic products that households may already have at home or may buy from online marketplaces. CAPT's advice to parents is to stay on their guard and to take a child to hospital straight away if they think magnets may have been swallowed1. The OPSS action is aimed at businesses and retail platforms rather than households: removing non-compliant products from sale and requiring clear warnings on products containing magnets where a child could swallow them1. No recall list, affected product names or numbers of injuries are given in the published material.
What happens next
OPSS is working with local authority trading standards to take action against products with unsafe magnets that could be swallowed by a child1. NHS England and NHS Improvement have issued their patient safety alert on urgent assessment and treatment, and the Royal College of Emergency Medicine's best practice guidance on treatment is published1. No further dates have been reported.
