New federal security requirements introduced Wednesday purpose to maintain youngsters and teenagers protected from critical or life-threatening accidents from unintended swallowing of high-powered magnets.

The brand new requirements require that sure merchandise with free or separable magnets include solely these which might be weak or too giant to swallow.

The purpose is to cut back accidents that may happen when swallowed magnets appeal to to one another contained in the physique. The dangers embody perforations, twisting and/or blockage of the intestines, an infection, blood poisoning and even loss of life.

Underneath the brand new requirements, magnets that slot in a small components cylinder will need to have a flux index of lower than 50 kG² mm². Flux index is a measure of magnetic energy.

The U.S. Shopper Product Security Fee (CPSC) voted Wednesday to approve the brand new requirements.

They apply to client merchandise designed, marketed or supposed for use for leisure, jewellery, psychological stimulation and stress reduction that include a number of free or separable magnets.

The rule doesn’t apply to merchandise offered and/or distributed solely to educators, researchers, professionals and/or business customers solely for instructional, analysis, skilled, business and/or industrial functions. It additionally would not apply to toys for teenagers underneath age 14 as a result of the CPSC already has a compulsory toy commonplace for these.

The change goes into impact 30 days after it’s printed within the Federal Register. It would have an effect on merchandise manufactured after that date.

Emergency departments handled an estimated 26,600 instances of magnet ingestion between 2010 and final 12 months, with instances rising annually since 2018, in keeping with the CPSC. Seven deaths involving ingestion of hazardous magnets have occurred—two exterior america. Most likely concerned magnet units, in keeping with the CPSC.

Accidents can happen when youngsters ingest magnets, for instance to imitate mouth piercings.

In 2014, the CPSC established a compulsory federal commonplace for magnet units. An appeals courtroom overturned that commonplace two years later and magnet ingestions and accidents rose after that, in keeping with the CPSC.