Magnets on child's sketch board present safety hazard

How many of you can still remember hearing your mother saying, ”Not everything that is fun is good for you.”  Usually this was after trying something that looked like a blast, but ended up in a trip to the local ER. I remember these words being fired out in white puffs of cold air as my mom was desperately digging my brother and I out of a collapsed snow tunnel run we had built on the hill in our front yard back in rural Pennsylvania. Now, as an adult I see the wisdom of her words. 

The toy industry has also heard these words, but often it is in the form of product recalls issued due to magnets releasing from their toys.  Magnets can be fun.  They can be used very creatively in toys.  They can add simplicity, or challenge to a toy, depending on the design and end-goal.  They can also add a high degree of danger.

Strong magnets that un-expectantly release for toys can be quickly ingested by youngsters of all ages. If small enough and singular, the magnets MAY pass right though the digestive system without a problem.  But if swallowed in combination with another piece of metal, or magnet, the end-result could be serious infection, even death.

On November 2, 2011, Battat Incorporated announced a recall of about 99,300 of their Toulouse-LapTrec Magnetic Sketch Boards.  Sold in the USA & Canada through Target retail and other online toys sites, only those boards sold between March 2010 and March 2011 are involved in this recall.

Photo: CPSC

Battat has received nineteen customer complaints stating that the magnetic tip was separating from the pen. The good news is that none of those reports indicated a child injury, but getting the boards out of customers’ hands before injury occurs is the goal of the recall.

Backing on sketch board

The sketch board, shown above, may have a red [model # BX1026], or brown plastic frame [model #BX1027].  The frame is attached to a bean bag backing in a bright, graphic enhanced fabric, and the magnetic tipped pen is held in place on the front of board.

Consumers who think they have an affected board should stop using it immediately and contact Battat at (866) 665-5524 or via their website at www.battatco.com.

See Health Canada's press release here.