Consumer product agency issues warning on small magnetic balls linked to deaths

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a warning about the danger of high-powered, pea-sized magnets found in toys. It says it is aware of seven deaths linked to their ingestion and announced that one company had recalled them. The federal agency estimates that ingestion of the magnets led to 2,400 hospital emergency room visits from 2017 to 2021 in addition to the deaths, two of which it said occurred outside the United States. The commission says the balls are made in China but did not name their manufacturer.