Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
Apple Valley News Now
Consumers should immediately stop using this magnetic game due to ingestion risks, agency warns
By Associated Press,
18 hours ago
NEW YORK — The Consumer Product and Safety Commission is warning people to immediately dispose of a magnetic game because it poses serious ingestion risks for children.
The CPSC posted a warning Thursday that "Magnetic Chess Games" sold by China-based seller JOMO contain magnets that do not comply with U.S. federal safety regulations. As a result, the "loose, hazardous magnets pose a risk of serious injury or death," according to the warning.
This photo provided by The U.S. Consumer Product and Safety Commission shows the front box of Magnetic Chess Game Sold by JOMO, that the U.S. Consumer Product and Safety Commission is warning consumers to immediately dispose of the magnetic game due to serious ingestion risks for children.(The U.S. Consumer Product and Safety Commission via AP)
The CPSC said it issued a violation notice to JOMO, but that the company has not agreed to recall its Magnetic Chess Games or provide a remedy. The commission urged people to stop using the game and throw it away immediately.
The games were sold online at walmart.com in a blue box with the word "Magnetic" on the front and back, according to the CPSC. They include about 20 loose black magnets but not chess-shaped pieces, despite its marketing.
It's unclear when or how long these games were sold. A CPSC spokesperson said the commission could not provide further information since JOMO is not cooperating.
Experts have long noted the serious health hazards tied to swallowing magnets, with children particularly at risk. When high-powered magnets are ingested, the CPSC noted, they can attract each other or another metal object in the body and become lodged in the digestive system — potentially resulting in blockage, infection, blood poisoning or death.
Overall, the CPSC estimates that a total of 2,400 magnet ingestions were treated in hospitals annually between 2017 and 2021. The commission said it is aware of eight related deaths from 2005 through 2021, two of which were outside the U.S.
Food recalls frequently generate headlines and public concern because of their associated safety risks and health hazards. To help protect consumers, government officials have developed a system of regulation and oversight—a shared responsibility of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture—to identify hazardous products and issue recalls to minimize those risks to consumers. Recalls are a nationwide concern, but some states are more vulnerable than others. To calculate which states have been most impacted by food recalls in recent years, researchers combined data on recall events from both the USDA and the FDA for the years 2020–2024, then ranked states accordingly.
This photo provided by The U.S. Consumer Product and Safety Commission shows the front box of Magnetic Chess Game Sold by JOMO, that the U.S. Consumer Product and Safety Commission is warning consumers to immediately dispose of the magnetic game due to serious ingestion risks for children.(The U.S. Consumer Product and Safety Commission via AP)
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.
Comments / 0