The Consumer Product and Safety Commission has issued a warning advising individuals to promptly discard a magnetic chess game due to significant ingestion risks for children. The CPSC alert, published on Thursday, highlights that the “Magnetic Chess Games” from the China-based seller JOMO contain non-compliant magnets under U.S. federal safety regulations, which could pose a severe threat of injury or even death according to the warning.
According to the CPSC, a violation notice was sent to JOMO regarding the issue, but the company has not agreed to recall the Magnetic Chess Games or offer a solution. Therefore, the commission is strongly advising the public to cease using the game and dispose of it immediately.
These magnetic games were available for purchase on walmart.com in a blue box labeled “Magnetic” both on the front and back. Despite being marketed as a chess game, they do not include chess-shaped pieces but instead contain around 20 loose black magnets.
The exact timeline of when these games were being sold is unclear, and the CPSC spokesperson mentioned that due to the lack of cooperation from JOMO, further details cannot be disclosed.
The ingestion of magnets has long been recognized as a serious health hazard, especially for children. If high-powered magnets are swallowed, they have the potential to attract one another or another metal object within the body, leading to complications like blockage, infection, blood poisoning, or even fatality as noted by the CPSC.
Between 2017 and 2021, hospitals treated an estimated total of 2,400 cases of magnet ingestions annually, as per the CPSC. The commission also mentioned being aware of eight related deaths from 2005 through 2021, with two of the fatalities occurring outside the U.S.
