UAE ban on super-magnet toys is helping protect children, doctors say

Abu Dhabi: A federal ban on the marketing of super-magnet or neodymium magnet toys in the UAE last year is expected to result in a noticeable decrease in cases of multiple magnet ingestion, physicians at a top Abu Dhabi hospital have said.

This is a very positive outcome of the ban, which was imposed by the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT), and the result of collaborative research between Abu Dhabi health facilities, led by the Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC), said Dr Mohamad Miqdady, SKMC’s chief of paediatric gastroenterology.

“Now, with the ban in place, we started to notice a decrease in the cases of magnet ingestion between 2020 and 2021, and we hope that it will fall to zero as these products become less widely owned. In the meantime, we call on parents to discard any such products they own, because they pose risks for children,” he added.

What are super-magnets?

Neodymium magnets are strong permanent magnets made from an alloy of neodymium, iron and boron. Developed in the 1980s for commercial use, they were later fashioned into toys and decorative products shaped as balls and discs. However, the strong magnetic attraction between pieces of these magnets poses significant hazards: two pieces of magnet, when ingested, can pinch the bowel with enough pressure to cause necrosis or tissue death.

Serious risks

“When multiple magnets are ingested, they trap parts of the bowel between them, and the severity of the force they exert damages the bowel wall. This causes perforation in the bowel, and a leak of bowel contents into the abdominal cavities. This poses serious risks, and while all children who have ingested magnets need medical attention, some even require surgical intervention,” Dr Miqdady explained.

In fact, one of the children who had presented to the SKMC having ingested multiple magnets between 2016 and 2019 developed bowel gangrene, and had to undergo two surgeries to remove portions of damaged bowel. Three others had bowel obstructions, and five had abnormal connections between different parts of the bowel, known as fistulas.

Multiple threats

This is however not the case with children who swallow multiple magnets.

“[In the cases we studied between 2016 and 2019], there were seven cases in which the patients had swallowed two magnets. One of these children had required a surgical, laparoscopic removal of the foreign bodies. And among the 16 children who had swallowed more than two magnets, three had needed endoscopic removal, and 12 had needed surgical removals. Only one child who had swallowed multiple magnets was able to pass them spontaneously,” Dr Al Yasi said.

“We are very grateful to the MoIAT for their understanding and cooperation in this matter. Many countries have unsuccessfully tried to ban these products from commercial sale, and the UAE is therefore taking the lead in prioritising their safety,” Dr Miqdady said.

“We would once again like to encourage parents and guardians to discard of any super (rare-earth) magnets, or often known as super magnets, that they have at home,” he added.

Risky trends

The ban not only prevents cases of accidental ingestion among younger children, but also prevents medical emergencies among older children. Dr Al Yasi mentioned a social media trend followed by young children this year, who apply the magnets to their tongues to look like fake piercings.

In September 2021, a nine-year-old boy in the UK, Jason Stirling, in fact had his appendix, small intestine and 30 centimetres of his large bowel removed after following the trend; he had gone on to swallow multiple magnets, which caused a major obstruction in his bowels. A six-year-old girl in the UK also needed lifesaving surgery after she swallowed 23 magnets while copying the trend.

Signs of foreign body ingestion

In many instances, individuals may show no symptoms after ingesting magnets.

Still, look out for the following signs:

- Coughing

- A sensation of foreign body in the throat

- Abdominal pain

- Vomiting

- Poor feeding

Most commonly ingested foreign bodies:

- Coins

- Button batteries, which can leak and cause poisoning and infection

- Magnets, which can cause intestinal perforation if more than one is ingested at different times

- Scarf pins

- Needles

- Keys

What should you do?

- Avoid keeping toys or objects smaller than the size of a child’s mouth within reach of children, as they might swallow them during play and exploration.

- Store batteries away from children, and try to ensure that the battery chamber in toys does not open up easily.

- If a child starts coughing or choking suddenly, think foreign body ingestion and check for it.

- If you suspect that something has been swallowed, rush your child to the hospital without delay.

- Caution older children against ingesting foreign objects as a dare.

If your child has swallowed a foreign object:

- Make sure he or she is not choking on it. Symptoms of choking include going blue in the face, having trouble breathing, swallowing or speaking.

- Find out what he or she swallowed and head to the hospital.

- Do not try to extract the foreign body by yourself.

- Observe the symptoms while on the way to the hospital. For instance, if a coin lodges in the oesophagus (food pipe), your child will exhibit signs of increased salivation, difficulty swallowing, vomiting, neck pain, chest pain or coughing.

If you suspect an incident of magnet or foreign body ingestion, rush your child to the nearest emergency room for medical attention.