Buckyballs magnet sets (spheres, cubes, rods)

Product description

Small powerful, rare earth, magnetic balls and cubes that can be used to build sculptures, puzzles, patterns, shapes, etc., including any of the following models:

Buckyballs Magnetic Building Spheres

Buckyballs Buckybars Magnetic Building Rods

Buckyballs Bucky Bigs XL Magnetic Building Spheres

Buckyballs Buckycubes Magnetic Building Cubes

Buckyballs Chromatics Magnetic Building Spheres

Buckyballs Sidekick Magnetic Building Spheres

They are available in a range of shapes, sizes and colours (chrome, gold, silver, pink, blue, green, black).

Hazard identified

Distributors of Buckyballs are voluntarily recalling these products from the market in response to a risk assessment conducted by Health Canada.

The risk assessment on these magnet sets has informed Health Canada's determination that they are a danger to human health and safety because they contain small powerful magnets which can be easily swallowed or inhaled by children. Unlike other small objects that would be more likely to pass normally through the digestive system if swallowed, when more than one small powerful magnet is swallowed, the magnets can attract one another while travelling through the digestive system. The magnets can then pinch together and create a blockage and slowly tear through the intestinal walls, causing perforations.

The results of swallowing small powerful magnets can be very serious and life-threatening. Swallowing incidents have often resulted in considerable damage to the gastrointestinal tissues and required emergency surgical treatment. For survivors, there can be serious long-term health consequences.

For more information on the danger of swallowing magnets, please see Magnets.

Number sold

Unknown.

Time period sold

Sold online in Canada since 2009 and through Canadian retailers since 2010.

Distributors may have directly contacted their Canadian customers to advise of this recall.

Place of origin

Manufactured in China.

Companies

Manufacturer Maxfield and Oberton Holdings LLC

New York

New York

UNITED STATES

Distributor Premier Gifts Ltd.

Mississauga

Ontario

CANADA

Distributor Marbles the Brain Store

Chicago

Illinois

UNITED STATES