As of 2019, manufacturers are working on a similar voluntary standard at the ASTM. The CPSC was unable to agree on a new rule, and some manufacturers started selling the products without a warning against use by children. Age restrictions: Require warnings and instructions for magnet sets to include an age recommendation of 14 years or older.Instructional requirements: Require magnet sets to include instructions that indicate how to avoid using the magnet set in a way that can lead to ingesting, aspirating, or inserting the magnets into the body and how to return magnets to the packaging.Require warnings on product packaging, including in a location that requires a user to see the warning when opening the package. Warning requirements: Require magnet sets to bear warnings that conform to specific form requirements, warn of the ingestion hazard, and indicate the product is not intended for children.According to the petitioner, these requirements would limit the magnetic strength of magnets so that they would not attach across internal tissue if ingested and would assist users in limiting children's access to the magnets. Establish standards for magnet set packaging, such as requiring packaging to be difficult for children to open and assist users in determining whether all magnets are returned to the package after use. 4 (small parts cylinder) to have a flux index of 50 kG^2 mm^2 or less if the product is designed, marketed, or manufactured for children under the age of 14 years. Performance standards: Require individual magnets and each magnet in a magnet set that fits entirely within the cylinder described in.The new magnet safety rule requests that CPSC promulgate a mandatory safety standard that includes the following: On October 6, 2017, the CPSC posted a new petition for magnet safety rulemaking brought forth by Zen Magnets LLC of Colorado. On November 22, 2016, United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit vacated the CPSC's 2012 rule in favor of Zen Magnets LLC, rendering the sale of small neodymium magnets once again legal in the United States. The CPSC continues to push forward, actively lobbying medical associations, consumer associations, the press and health agencies outside of the US for support. In the absence of an existing standard for magnetic products outside of toys, the CPSC issued a new rulemaking proposal in 2012 that purports to ban all loose high-powered magnet sets from being sold across the United States, regardless of their application. On December 27, 2012, Maxfield & Oberton filed a Certificate of Cancellation with the Secretary of State of Delaware, declaring that the company no longer exists. The company launched a political campaign against the CPSC, and Craig Zucker, the company's co-founder, debated the safety commission on FOX News. Maxfield & Oberton refused the recall and continued selling their desktop toys. Recalls and administrative complaints were filed against other similar US companies. Īnother recall was issued for Buckyballs in 2012 along with similar products marketed as toys in the US. The commission cited hidden complications if more than one magnet becomes attached across tissue inside the body. Incidents involving older children and teens were unintentional and the result of using the magnets to mimic body piercings such as tongue studs. įurther investigation by the CPSC published in 2012 found an increasing trend of magnet ingestion incidents in young children and teens since 2009. Subsequently, Maxfield & Oberton changed all mentions of "toy" to "desk toy", positioning the product as a stress-reliever for adults and restricted sales from stores that sold primarily children's products. Buckyballs labeled "Keep Away From All Children" were not recalled. According to the CPSC, 175,000 units had been sold to the public. Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a recall on packaging labeled 13+. Recalls īuckyballs launched at New York International Gift Fair in 2009 and sold in the hundreds of thousands before the U.S. Despite existing toy regulations at the time, Maxfield & Oberton, maker of Buckyballs, told the New York Times that they saw the product on YouTube and repackaged them as Buckyballs. In 2009, a number of US companies decided to repackage sphere magnets and sell them as toys. Controversies Product positioning controversy Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has undergone rulemaking to attempt to restrict their sale. In the United States, as a result of an estimated 2,900 emergency room visits between 20 due to either "ball-shaped" or "high-powered" magnets, or both, the U.S. Neodymium magnets, usually small spheres, have been manufactured as educational toys, stress relief products, and an artistic medium. "Bucky Ball" toy neodymium magnet spheres in close-up
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