Official: China knew about magnets

CNN ^ | 08/14/07

[TigerLikesRooster]

Official: China knew about magnets

BEIJING, China (Reuters) -- China knew about problems with magnets on toys as long ago as March, an industry official said on Wednesday, following a second massive recall of Chinese-made Mattel toys due to hazards from small, powerful magnets.

Mattel's Barbie and Tanner doll set is one of the products being recalled.

1 of 2 Mattel Inc. the largest U.S. toy company, recalled millions more Chinese-made toys on Tuesday due to hazards from the magnets and lead paint, and warned it may recall additional products as it steps up testing.

"We knew about the situation, because since March some toys had been recalled due to magnetic-parts problems," an official with the China Toy Association, who declined to be identified, told Reuters.

She did not elaborate on why it had taken so long for something to be done.

The new recall involves about 18.2 million magnetic toys globally, including 9.5 million in the United States.

[Caipirabob]

YOU DO NOT EAT MAGNETS!

Well, I have to agree with you. The "eating magnets" thing is a supervisory issue with small children. Yet many parents have grown to trust the safety standards that have worked fairly well over the past few decades despite the number of recalls and deadly incidents.

And younger children when given the chance do tend to put these things in their mouths. I honestly believe the majority of susceptible children for this threat are those in daycares and larger non-parent supervised groups.

Or there are just many clueless parents out there who don't care enough to watch or check. Sadly, I think this number is growing these days.

TASTY LEAD FILLED MAGNETS...HUHHHHHHHHHH....

[DB]

The magnets coming off is likely a QC issue as well.

I don’t now how they were assembled but it easily could have been substandard glue or any number of other things.

[Don Joe]

Every time I have ever shoved a magnet toward another magnet, the other magnet was repelled. Every time I have shoved a magnet toward a ordinary piece of metal they were forcefully attracted to each other. Those are the facts that I have witnessed.

Oh, God, it's late! So late that I've fallen into The Twilight Zone!

Please -- tell me you're shitting us! PLEASE tell us you are going for the Guinness Record for poker-faced droll "I really said that -- with a straight face!" award.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry or vomit.

I'm going to try to break the spell. I'm going to see if I can force my way out of The Twilight Zone by chanting a differential diagnosis.

Government schools....
Government schools....
Government schools....
Government schools....
Government schools....
Government schools....
Government schools....
Government schools....

Oh, wait! There IS another possible explanation!

It could be that this character has discovered that there really IS such a thing as the "magnetic monopole"! And what's more, it's the ONLY type of "magnet" he's ever encountered in life!

Does he realize how RICH he'll be when he shares this amazing discovery with the world? I hope he calls a good patent attorney FAST, before "the oil companies" try to take it away from him!

[OK, I finally decided. *puke*]

[DB]

You need to play with magnets more.

[DB]

These magnets improperly detached from their larger toy assemblies causing the hazard.

[DB]

Take it easy.

He’s obviously not had much experience with magnets of different shapes and sizes.

[norton]

Sitting here wondering (a) why I can't sleep, and (b) how any of us over forty survived all those childhood threats.

Also, this is where I draw a line in the sand:
I will not give up my magnetic scottie dogs, despite the fact that I can't find them and don't remember which ends attracted / repelled.

[Hydroshock]

My wife and I had a talk last night as I was unloading groceries. I bought some Gorden’s fish sticks, I usually buy store brands whenever possible, but bought these because they listed a country of origin, Canada, the others just a distribution address. I commented on it and she thanked me. We then discussed the recall, we have small children. We decided that we were not letting them have any Mattel toys for the foreseeable future and trying like blazes to avoid all chicom product for our household.

[F.J. Mitchell]

I do hope you feel better now Don Joe, but do not count on me reimbursing you for the meal you up chucked.

May we now get back to discussing the benefits to American children’s health derived from chewing the lead based paint off toys made in Communist China?

[Gorzaloon]

There are some strong acids in your sromach t hat can corrode many metals and cause them to eenter you blood stream.

If they are "small, powerful magnets" they are probably samarium/cobalt.

From a magnet site:

"You are cautioned, however, that ALL permanent magnets are brittle, and generally when allowed to impact each other, or impact metal, they will chip. The fragments produced in this manner can be extremely hazardous. Chips can get in the eyes if proper protection is not being worn."

Another possibility is neodymium/iron/boron.

[F.J. Mitchell]

And you need to play with yourself less.

[from occupied ga]

So that’s the deal with magnets in kids toys...

So if a kid eats a smooth piece of glass and it breaks in the kid's innards, it's the fault of the company that made the glass? Unbelievable.

[Leftism is Mentally Deranged]

No more buying chinese products! Damn the politicians who favored increased commerce with china.

[DB]

Hey, I was polite to you jerk.

Your ignorance is astounding.

[DB]

This issue was that the magnets fell off the toys intended for small children.

[from occupied ga]

It has reached the point where no matter how low the probability or unlikely the event, the manufacturer is blamed. Never the parents or the child. Remember Jacks? Remember stepping on them? Now someone would sue.

[DB]

While I agree with most of that, I grew up in the 60’s and 70’s and managed to survive doing far worse things, it is well known that toys intended for small children should not have small parts that come off. The parents didn’t fail in supervising their child, at least in my opinion, they bought a toy from a well known manufacturer that was intended for small children and small parts that were supposed to be secure fell off.

Heck, I played with lead, mercury, solder and various glues that had really bad fumes that gave me headaches... I probably would have been better off with all the brain cells God intended for me...

[rudy45]

We still haven’t resolved the issue regarding magnets that attract. Other people have explained the north-south pole issue. How clear is it now that magnets CAN attract, depending on which pole is involved?

[DB]

Forget it. F.J. Mitchell is too proud to admit any possible error. Will just start insulting you personally.

[from occupied ga]

children should not have small parts that come off.

How much stress did it take to make the parts fall off. If the kid had to beat the crap out of the toy to get it to fail, then I don't think the manufacturer should be held responsible, If the parts just dropped off, then that's another story. In my mind anyway it boils down to reasonable expectations.