Mattel Inc., the world’s largest toymaker, stopped selling 2.4 million Polly Pocket play sets after three children were hospitalized from swallowing magnets.
The plastic Polly Pocket dolls, clothing and hair pieces contain magnets that are one-eighth of an inch (0.32 centimeter) in diameter and used to help attach pieces to the doll or the doll’s house. There were 170 reports of the small magnets falling out of the toys, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said today in a statement.
Young children may swallow the magnets, inhale them into the lungs or place them in their nose or ears. If more than one magnet is swallowed, they can attract each other and cause damage to the intestinal walls, infection or blockage, which may be fatal. Inhalation into the lungs requires surgery and magnets in the nose or ears may cause swelling, the CPSC said.
The CPSC said it received three reports of children who swallowed more than one magnet, had damage to the intestines and required surgery. A 2-year-old child was hospitalized for seven days, a 7-year-old for 12 days and an 8-year-old for an unspecified amount of time.
The recalled play sets were sold at toy stores and discount department stores from May 2003 through September 2006 for $15 to $30. All of the products should have been removed from store shelves, said CPSC spokeswoman Kim Dulic. Consumers may contact Mattel to return the toys and receive a voucher for a replacement up to the value of the original Polly Pocket.
Another 2 million play sets were sold outside the U.S., the CPSC said.
