On random occasions, you’ve probably seen videos about kinetic sand or magnetic ball compilations popping up on your YouTube recommended feed.

 You might ignore it, or you might just be bored enough to click on it after watching the preview. It is, after all, oddly satisfying to watch the magnetic balls click together like Legos to make their own work of art.

The Damage Caused by Swallowing the Metal Balls

While these magnetic balls can form connected and structured works of art in abled hands, it might not be the best toys for children, given their propensity to put random things in their mouth.

For one nine-year-old girl, she swallowed 14 of these innocuous-looking metal balls, which later constricted due its magnetic pull and punctured her intestines.

The damage caused to throw up green vomit repeatedly over the course of two weeks, much to the consternation of the doctors, because no one knew that she had swallowed the metal balls beforehand.

It was only after an X-Ray that revealed the source of trouble trapped in her guts, namely 14 magnetic balls, ranging from 3mm to 5mm each.

Two stretches of her intestines–3.5cm and 6.5cm respectively—had to be severed as they were irreversibly damaged by the balls pushing and pulling on her organs.

The Calls for a Ban

The nine-year-old girl isn’t the first child who has accidentally swallowed this popular toy and suffered for it.

There have been numerous reports of the same occurrence all across the United States, China, and Britain.

As early as 2019, toy suppliers were asked by Enterprise Singapore to stop selling 10 similar magnetic toys as the government agency responsible for consumer goods safety deemed it as hazardous.

Despite Singapore’s attempts to curb the sales of the magnetic balls, they are easily available on e-commerce platforms like Lazada and Shopping.

As of 6 June 2022, 1000 pieces of these magnetic balls are being sold on Lazada at a cheap price for $5.51 because of its ongoing mid-year mega sale.

The young victim’s troubles began when she persuaded her parents to buy her the $17 toy, which consisted of 216 magnetic balls from Lazada, since many of her friends were playing it as well.

Mrs Premchand, the 39-year-old mother, recalls that her daughter started puking in 9 May. Back then, they merely thought that it was just a viral infection and brought her to KK’s Women and Children Hospital for a check-up.

She was prescribed antibiotics afterwards.

The vomiting stopped, except it would return at full force one-and-a-half weeks later.

By that point in time, the pain had gotten so bad the girl couldn’t even sit up straight and had to be wheeled into the Thomas Medical Centre.

Throughout the entire ordeal, the girl had trouble keeping food down and lost a total of 3kg.

Dr Nidhu Jasm, a surgeon at Thomson Medical Centre, believes that this toy should be banned altogether.

The surgeon used to work in Britain, and there had been numerous medical professionals that urged the government to ban the sales of these toys, but to little effect. With Singapore’s more efficient laws, she believes that the country can do better.

When Dr Nidhu was fiddling with these metal constructs, she could feel how strongly the magnets were attracted to each other as she wrapped them around her finger. It’s not easy to pull them apart and the squeezing action is capable of puncturing a hole in the intestines, though it takes between a week to 10 days for it to manifest.

Another problem that Dr Nidhu points out is that because the metal balls are usually sold and bought in large quantities. Adults wouldn’t even notice if a few goes missing. It’s also small enough that children wouldn’t choke on it if they accidentally swallow it.

Although an older child who bought it might be intelligent enough to not swallow the toy, the same can’t be said for younger siblings who are still crawling around. 

The Worries of a Parent

Mrs Premchand’s daughter happened to have the habit of putting things in her mouth to feel for its texture.

After realising what had caused her daughter’s incessant vomiting, Mrs Prechand and her husband threw the toy away. They also have a younger, six-year-old son.

What worries that surgeon and mother the most is that every other parent that they knew has also bought the toy for their own children.

The magnetic metal balls are undeniably creative and stimulating as they allow the user to form all sorts of shapes and patterns by connecting the balls together.

Mrs Premchand also noted that when she bought the toy, it didn’t come with appropriate warning labels, and it didn’t occur to her that the magnets could be this harmful.

After undergoing the surgery, the girl is thankfully on the road of recovery and has progressed to eating full meals.

In hindsight, Mrs Premchand admits that she would never have bought the toy for her daughter, or for anyone else as a gift.

In her eyes, the potential danger it poses to the children simply isn’t worth the risk.

Featured Image: Thompson Medical Centre