Move over Lite Brite...Child Swallows 37 Buckyballs

I remember when I was younger and I accidentally swallowed a Lite Brite peg, which was a small peg-shaped piece made of hard plastic. Fortunately, it was only one and there were no serious problems or complications that resulted. No one really uses Lite Brite anymore unless you have one of these relics in your attic. Instead, kids these days play with virtual Lite Brite, one of the iPad app. None of those kids will swallow any plastic pegs. But instead of Lite Brite pegs, parents now have something new to be careful about --Buckyballs.

If you have not heard of Buckyballs (or Buckeycubes), they are high powered colored magnets (pictured above) that can be connected to make all sorts of artistic designs and objects. Although they are not children’s toys, their color and shape makes them look appealing and fun to play with for children. Children have been known to put these objects in their mouth, perhaps because they look like some types of colored candies. Older children put them in their mouth to simulate a tongue piercing. Overall, 22 children are reported by the Consumer Product Safety Commission to have ingested small magnets.

In Oregon, a 3-year-old girl recently swallowed 37 Buckyballs, which then connected together in the child’s intestines. Because the magnets were so strong, when they connected they tore three holes in her intestines and one in the stomach. This required surgery to remove the Buckyballs and fix the tears. She is fortunately expected to make a full recovery. Signs and symptoms of magnet ingestion includes pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Of the 22 children who ingested magnets, 11 needed surgery. Don’t let the next one be your child. Keep these small objects away from the little ones if you have them.