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Buckyballs are landing kids in hospitals: Do you think they should be recalled?

Print | Comments () Posted by Kristi Palma July 26, 2012 06:59 AM

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AP Photo/CPSC

You won't find Buckyballs on Amazon.com anymore.

According to the Associated Press, the online retailer has agreed to stop selling the high-powered desktop magnetic toys for adults after the Consumer Product Safety Commission stepped in and tried to get the product recalled.

The AP reports that at least a dozen children have swallowed the magnets since 2009, some requiring surgery. While young kids accidentally have swallowed them while playing, teenagers have swallowed them while trying to mimic tongue piercings. In its complaint, the commission says the powerful magnets can get stuck in the gastrointestinal walls, leading to perforations that can cause serious injury or death.

The company that makes Buckyballs, Maxfield and Oberton, is refusing to recall the product, but the CPSC has persuaded 10 retailers, including Amazon.com, to stop selling them. Maxfield and Oberton called the agency's actions "unfair, unjust and un-American." The company said the product is marketed to people over 14 and has warning labels.

Do you think Buckyballs should be recalled?

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Kristi Palma, Boston.com Moms producer, is the mom of a kindergartner and a preschooler. She is a writer who enjoys cooking her grandmother's Italian recipes (when her son isn't launching paper airplanes into them). Follow her on Twitter @kristipalma.

Jennifer Clark Estes is a teacher, writer, blogger, and the mother of four young children. In her free time, she blogs at A Mom's World, plays with the kids (or chauffeurs them around), and is desperately seeking a quiet spot so she can read a book. Follow her on Twitter @JenniferCEstes.