Retailers recall potentially dangerous magnet sets
By MARY CLARE JALONICK | The Associated Press April 12, 2013 2:50PM
Updated: April 12, 2013 2:59PM
WASHINGTON — Six retailers have agreed to recall a brand of potentially dangerous high-powered magnet sets after the manufacturer refused to participate.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission said Friday that Barnes & Noble, Bed Bath & Beyond and four other stores are recalling “Buckyballs” and “Buckycubes” after the CPSC received 54 reports of children and teens ingesting the product.
The tiny, powerful magnets are sold as a desktop toy that can be molded into different shapes. They can be dangerous or deadly if accidentally swallowed or inhaled.
The CPSC filed a rare legal complaint against the company that manufactured the sets, New York-based Maxfield & Oberton, in July after recall negotiations failed. The company has since gone out of business but the products are likely still in homes and offices.
