Manufacturer of Magnetix toys fined by CPSC

The manufacturer of the Magnetix children's toys was fined by the Consumer Product Safety Commission for failing to report information that may have led to an earlier recall of the hazardous children's magnetic toys.  The Magnetix toys were the subject of a series of articles in the Chicago Tribune outlining the weaknesses in the safety monitoring role of the CPSC.  One of the weaknesses was that the Commission had to rely upon manufacturers to report inidents involving injuries or death of users.

The incident which resulted in the fine was an incident in Washington in which a child swallowed two or more Magnetic magnets.  These are very powerful magnets and can attract one another through the intestinal walls.  This can result in death of the intestines, with resultant infection and death for the child.  Before the death of the child in Washington, there had been at least one other report of injury.

The failure of the company to comply with the reporting requirement resultedin these hazardous toys remaining on the shelf far longer than they should have.