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Mega Brands issues new recall over magnets in toys

Monday, March 17, 2008 | 10:24 AM ET

Montreal-based Mega Brands recalled MagnaMan Action Figures and Magtastik and Magnetix Jr. Pre-School Magnetic toys on Monday because of the risk of children swallowing magnets.

Magnets in small flexible parts of the toys can detach and if more than one magnet is swallowed, they can attract each other and cause intestinal perforations or blockages, which can be fatal.

There have been 44 reports in the United States of magnets coming loose from these toys, including one report of a three-year-old boy receiving medical treatment to remove a magnet from his nose and one report of an 18-month old found with a single magnet in his mouth, which he didn't swallow.

The company, which sells the toys worldwide, is urging consumers to stop using the recalled toys and return them to Mega Brands for a free replacement toy.

The design of the product lines affected by this recall predates the redesign of the Magnetix building system by Mega Brands in 2006. MagnaMan and Magnetix Jr. sets are no longer in production.

The company says it sold approximately $7 million US worth of the toys in 2007.

In October 2006, Mega Brands, formerly known as Mega Bloks, paid $13.5 million US in a settlement of a number of lawsuits that charged the company's toys caused serious internal injuries and the death of a toddler.

Terms of the settlement, which include no admission of liability, were not disclosed. A lawyer representing the plaintiffs said the families of the children were satisfied with the agreement.

The company recalled 3.8 million toys in March 2006 after receiving 34 incident reports, including the death of 22-month-old Kenny Sweet of Redmond, Wash.

An autopsy showed that the magnets twisted the toddler's small intestine and led to blood poisoning. There were no injuries or incident reports involving the toys in Canada.

For more information, call 1-800-779-7122.

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