By Diane C. Lade and Arlene Satchell | South Florida Sun-Sentinel August 15, 2007
Consumer advocates are pushing for stricter federal scrutiny of toys containing magnets, an emerging child safety hazard, after a recall Tuesday of more than 9.6 million products by Mattel, creator of some of the nation's best-known brands.
The voluntary recall, the second for Mattel in two weeks, included 7.3 million Polly Pocket play sets and other toys manufactured in China. Last November, Mattel recalled 2.4 million Polly Pocket sets for similar problems involving small, powerful magnets. Three children playing with Polly Pockets required surgery when magnets they swallowed after they had fallen off the toys attached inside their intestines, causing perforations.
Mattel has received another 400 complaints of magnets coming off Polly Pockets since the November recall, federal safety regulators said. The affected toys from Tuesday's recall were sold between May 2003 and November 2006.