# Consumer Protection Agency to ban Magnetic Balls

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-protection-agency-to-ban-magnetic-balls/622325>\
**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:** 2\
**Page:** 5

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**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\
**Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-protection-agency-to-ban-magnetic-balls/622325/81 "2012-07-27T01:43:30Z")

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This is an interesting point, and I’d like to see their reasoning. I wonder if it’s because it’s not an obvious danger, which something like lawn darts should be.

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**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\
**Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consumer-protection-agency-to-ban-magnetic-balls/622325/82 "2012-07-27T02:00:41Z")

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> [@garygnu](#):
>
> My store sells them. Over my objections, the display was taken down this morning until we had more info about the recall. About an hour later I had to lug the display back up, not sure why (I assume somebody called a rep).
> 
> The Buckyballs guy is well and truly an asshole, but his rambling and unnecessarily political letter posted on their site eventually makes a good point: why did the agency that oversees warning labels decide that warning labels were not good enough for this one product, yet OK for every other thing that could kill children if swallowed?

My guess is because they are by all appearances toys, and will be used as such by kids regardless of what the warning label says as soon as the package gets thrown away, as a previous poster wrote:

> [@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.

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