# Consumer Protection Agency to ban Magnetic Balls **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 18, 2012, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-protection-agency-to-ban-magnetic-balls/622325 "2012-05-18T15:34:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-protection-agency-to-ban-magnetic-balls/622325/21 "2012-05-18T16:48:22Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > from cpsc > > i don’t see other information there with a quick look. do you have any? No that pretty much covers it. I just remember Bucky balls was forced to recall their product for labeling and Magnet Balls wasn’t. It was pretty unfair IMO as bucky balls had a warning label, just not the correct one, while magnet balls had no warning labels so didn’t have to recall any product. Bucky Balls tends to suffer the most with the requirements as they market their product in retail locations. Magnet Balls sells many more sets than Bucky Balls but sells almost exclusively online so they alude much of the negative publicity. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-protection-agency-to-ban-magnetic-balls/622325/22 "2012-05-18T17:03:27Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > But they only kill kids young enough to put everything in their mouth. They don’t kill 13 year olds or anything. And there are plenty of toys that we do let 13 year olds have that would be choking hazards for a 2 year old. The problem is not that they are choking hazards (though they may be that as well). The problem is that they can destroy your digestive system if swallowed, by punching holes through your intestines. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-protection-agency-to-ban-magnetic-balls/622325/23 "2012-05-18T18:19:51Z")
> [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > [Thirteen year old girl nearly dies swallowing magnetic ball bearings](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1363915/Girl-13-nearly-dies-swallowing-magnetic-ball-bearings-used-fake-tongue-piercing.html) > > It looks like the problem these pose for older kids is that they are using them as fake tongue and lip piercings. I do not agree they should be banned, however. Proper labeling should be enough. In the article you linked, there is a picture of the warning on the package of Bucky Balls that reads: > [@](#): > > Keep Away From All Children! > > Do not put in nose or mouth. Swallowed magnets can stick to intestines causing serious injury or death. Seek immediate medical attention if magnets are swallowed or inhaled. Sounds like a pretty strong warning to me. Presumably 13 year olds can read. However not all of them are even going to look for a warning, or if they do read it, think, “What are the odds? This won’t happen to me. I’ll be careful.” Teenagers often tend to believe they’re invincible. I do agree they shouldn’t be banned, however. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-protection-agency-to-ban-magnetic-balls/622325/24 "2012-05-18T18:41:59Z")
> [@boytyperanma](#): > > Yes my history on this board of talking about scary big government boogy men can back up your accusation. > > If you want to accuse me of lying feel free to take it to the pit. I don’t think you’re lying, but I do think you’ve been misinformed. Doing a quick Google search for Magnetic Ball Ban returns this thread as the number one hit, and a mommy board for number 2. I suspect your fiend may be recalling the Buckeyball recall from a couple of years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-protection-agency-to-ban-magnetic-balls/622325/25 "2012-05-18T18:50:31Z")
> [@Mollie\_Magill](#): > > I don’t think you’re lying, but I do think you’ve been misinformed. Doing a quick Google search for Magnetic Ball Ban returns this thread as the number one hit, and a mommy board for number 2. I suspect your fiend may be recalling the Buckeyball recall from a couple of years ago. Being mentioned in the same sentence as a Mommy Board is never a good thing. 🙂 (His fiend? Do you know something we don’t? :D) Oh yeah, the original question - if they are planning to ban these, I think it’s stupid. How to keep your child from swallowing strong magnets - don’t keep them in the house. Children young enough to swallow them aren’t exactly going out shopping on their own, are they? ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-protection-agency-to-ban-magnetic-balls/622325/26 "2012-05-18T18:50:43Z")
> [@Mollie\_Magill](#): > > I suspect your fiend may be recalling the Buckeyball recall from a couple of years ago. Hey, I’m sure his **fiend** isn’t that bad. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-protection-agency-to-ban-magnetic-balls/622325/27 "2012-05-18T18:52:17Z")
If we banned all dangerous objects, then we would probably descend into a toolless state of prehistoric culture. In fact, I am willing to bet that flint knives are potentially dangerous in the hands of an infant. Thusly, I propose that we restrict the activities of all humans below the age of majority so that they are literally incapable of harming themselves or others with any manmade object. When a child reaches weaning age, she will then be placed in a flexible spherical unit that protects her from all external harm. We can call it the ‘Bubble Child Solution’. I am looking for venture capitalists who wish to financially back this enterprise. ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-protection-agency-to-ban-magnetic-balls/622325/28 "2012-05-18T18:58:17Z")
I don’t see how the OP could provide a cite for something that is real-time second-hand knowledge. I _am_ still trying to figure out what CPA is, though. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-protection-agency-to-ban-magnetic-balls/622325/29 "2012-05-18T19:01:58Z")
> [@howye](#): > > Actually, I do doubt this and would like to see a cite. A search for “Consumer Protection Agency to ban Magnetic Balls” only turns up this thread. There is a Federal Trade Commission Bureau of Consumer Protection, but no Federal Consumer Protection Agency. The other thing I find odd is the idea that this agency (whatever it’s called) “stopped by the offices of every maker/importer.” It’s not like they are all located in the same neighborhood in Manhattan; presumably these manufacturers and importers are scattered around the country. So wouldn’t this agency just send a letter to all of these companies (assuming that it somehow has a master list, which I find unlikely)? Or wouldn’t it just publish the proposed action in the Federal Register? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-protection-agency-to-ban-magnetic-balls/622325/30 "2012-05-18T19:02:23Z")
**Consumer Reporter:** Alright. Fine. Fine. Well, we’d like to show you another one of Mr. Mainway’s products. It retails for $1.98, and it’s called Bag O’ Glass. [holds up bag of glass] Mr. Mainway, this is simply a bag of jagged, dangerous, glass bits. **Irwin Mainway:** Yeah, right, it’s you know, it’s glass, it’s broken glass, you know? It sells very well, as a matter of fact, you know? It’s just broken glass, you know? **Consumer Reporter:** [laughs] I don’t understand. I mean, children could seriously cut themselves on any one of these pieces! **Irwin Mainway:** Yeah, well, look - you know, the average kid, he picks up, you know, broken glass anywhere, you know? The beach, the street, garbage cans, parking lots, all over the place in any big city. We’re just packaging what the kids want! I mean, it’s a creative toy, you know? If you hold this up, you know, you see colors, every color of the rainbow! I mean, it teaches him about light refraction, you know? Prisms, and that stuff! You know what I mean? **Consumer Reporter:** So, you don’t feel that this product is dangerous? **Irwin Mainway:** No! Look, we put a label on every bag that says, “Kid! Be careful - broken glass!” I mean, we sell a lot of products in the “Bag O’” line… like Bag O’ Glass, Bag O’ Nails, Bag O’ Bugs, Bag O’ Vipers, Bag O’ Sulfuric Acid. They’re decent toys, you know what I mean? ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-protection-agency-to-ban-magnetic-balls/622325/31 "2012-05-18T19:13:39Z")
The problem with “strong” warnings is that the bag gets opened, the magnetic balls get out, put in a drawer, and taken out over the years for visiting children to play with. No one remembers the strong warning, and kids do stupid things. It would be nice to live in less of a nanny state, but I’d rather live in a world without magnetic balls than a world where someone’s kid dies unnecessarily. It’s a risk/benefit thing and the benefit of magnetic balls is just not that great. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-protection-agency-to-ban-magnetic-balls/622325/32 "2012-05-18T19:16:17Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > The problem is not that they are choking hazards (though they may be that as well). The problem is that they can destroy your digestive system if swallowed, by punching holes through your intestines. Yeah, I’m aware of that. My point was that there are things that are appropriate toys for older kids, that are not appropriate for younger kids, whether they’re choking hazards or powerful magnets. Either one can kill a small child, while being perfectly safe for someone who is old enough to know not to put it in their mouth. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-protection-agency-to-ban-magnetic-balls/622325/33 "2012-05-18T19:18:49Z")
But the point is that older kids (teens) _are_ putting them in their mouths so they can have a faux tongue or cheek piercing. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-protection-agency-to-ban-magnetic-balls/622325/34 "2012-05-18T19:19:32Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > But the point is that older kids (teens) _are_ putting them in their mouths so they can have a faux tongue or cheek piercing. Then they’re being remarkably stupid. Which I guess may have to result in a ban. When I made my first post that **suranyi** questioned, I was unaware that’s what was going on. BTW, the agency that handles these things is the [Consumer Product Safety Commission](http://www.cpsc.gov/). ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-protection-agency-to-ban-magnetic-balls/622325/35 "2012-05-18T19:34:23Z")
> [@Cliffy](#): > > In terms of actual utility, it’s perfectly reasonable to put similar magnets in plastic casings that are much harder for kids to swallow and, therefore, don’t pose nearly the danger. Evidently you’ve never seen magnetic balls, as it’s not really sensible to speak of them as having “utility”. Although they _can_ be used for hanging things on a fridge, that isn’t how they’re sold. They’re a novelty toy, entertaining only when you get a bunch of them together, [like this.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JpM4A4657k) They work well because they’re small and strong; something that weakens their surface field strength (like a thick plastic case) will make them far less effective. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-protection-agency-to-ban-magnetic-balls/622325/36 "2012-05-18T19:35:55Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > Then they’re being remarkably stupid. Which I guess may have to result in a ban. When I made my first post that **suranyi** questioned, I was unaware that’s what was going on. > > BTW, the agency that handles these things is the [Consumer Product Safety Commission](http://www.cpsc.gov/). On their site, doing a search on “Magnetic balls” brings up nothing, btw. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-protection-agency-to-ban-magnetic-balls/622325/37 "2012-05-18T20:09:39Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > On their site, doing a search on “Magnetic balls” brings up nothing, btw. try “buckyballs” - the brand name of the biggest seller. Which pisses me off even more, since the magnets have nothing to do with buckminsterfullerene. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-protection-agency-to-ban-magnetic-balls/622325/38 "2012-05-18T20:12:38Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > The problem with “strong” warnings is that the bag gets opened, the magnetic balls get out, put in a drawer, and taken out over the years for visiting children to play with. No one remembers the strong warning, and kids do stupid things. It would be nice to live in less of a nanny state, but I’d rather live in a world without magnetic balls than a world where someone’s kid dies unnecessarily. It’s a risk/benefit thing and the benefit of magnetic balls is just not that great. But the risk/benefit for many people (some would even argue a majority) is that there is little risk at all, since they don’t have kids, so strong magnets is pretty much all benefit for them. Someone introduced me to the term “burden of responsibility,” and I love it in discussions like this. The burden of responsibility is on the parents of kids to not let their kids eat strong magnets, not on society to not produce strong magnets, in my opinion. Society can’t be responsible for there never being anything anywhere that can hurt a child. ---
**Author:** ![howye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9adbd/32.png) [@howye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/howye)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-protection-agency-to-ban-magnetic-balls/622325/39 "2012-05-18T20:30:05Z")
> [@boytyperanma](#): > > Yes my history on this board of talking about scary big government boogy men can back up your accusation. > > If you want to accuse me of lying feel free to take it to the pit. Whoa, slow your roll chief. Did I say lying? NO sir! However, go to the top and read what you wrote while forgetting that you wrote it. Now read your second post, made while I was looking for information on this. Now tell me that isn’t Snopes worthy friend of a friend material? “The CPA stopped by the offices of every maker/importer of Magnetic Ball’s to inform them they could either volenterilly stop selling them or the CPA plans to ban the product from sale within the US.” An agency that doesn’t exist, stopped by EVERY business of a certain type, to threaten them to stop their business or the government would ban their business. Please don’t get huffy with me when you are asked to back this up with something. You second post drops it down to someone told you that someone came to their business and said this. I ain’t saying that you weren’t told this, I am saying you should have been skeptical and you should have formed your post in the form of a question. I don’t know your posting history. Sorry, you don’t stick out that much. But your post comes across as straight up far-right anti-gov. nonsense. You flew off the handle when you get called on bad piece of info. ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-protection-agency-to-ban-magnetic-balls/622325/40 "2012-05-18T20:38:22Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > try “buckyballs” - the brand name of the biggest seller. Which pisses me off even more, since the magnets have nothing to do with buckminsterfullerene. You can assemble them into an approximation (not exact) of the soccer ball configuration of the carbon atoms in 'fullerene. A loose association, I’ll grant, but more than nothing. You can have my magnetic balls when you pry them from my cold, dead, perforated intestine. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-protection-agency-to-ban-magnetic-balls/622325.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-protection-agency-to-ban-magnetic-balls/622325.md?page=3)