Edgewater Toddler Swallows 18 Magnets, Avoids Surgery

A quick-thinking Edgewater mother may have prevented her son from needing abdominal surgery when she took her 19-month-old boy to the hospital after finding small magnets in his hands.

According to WLBZ, Edgewater resident Laura Bjarnason immediately took her son, Pressely, to the hospital when she found the small magnets in his possession last week. Once at the hospital, doctors conducted an X-ray and found 18 magnets inside his stomach.

Bjarnson told WLBZ that doctors were very close to having to do abdominal surgery, but they were able to pull out the magnets with a scope. Bjarnson and her son Pressley are safe and back home in Edgewater, WLBZ reported.

Magnet Balls, BuckyBalls and Zen Magnets are just a few of the companies that make the small magnet toys.

On a package of Magnet Balls, a disclaimer on the bag says, “swallowed magnets can stick to intestines causing serious injury or death.” The warning continues and says only children 14 or older should play with them.

However, warnings on similar packages aren’t effective enough, according to a federal commission.

USA TODAY reported in July that The Consumer Product Safety Commission filed a lawsuit against BuckeyBalls and Zen Magnets because of the risk their product posed to children. A 12-year-old in California spent six days in the hospital and needed two surgeries after she swallowed four of the ball magnets, according to USA TODAY.

Do you own the small magnet toys? Have you had any “close calls” with young children using the magnets?