Parents say popular toy is a magnet for disaster



AURORA, Colo. -- Parents and a doctor warn a popular toy may be a magnet for disaster, after seeing an increase in the number of children swallowing the small but powerful magnets.

The strong magnets are sold in local stores and online, often coming in packets containing 250 to 1,000 of the small BB-sized round magnets, according to KDVR.

"We are starting to see more of these high power magnet ingestions now that they are back on the market," said Dr. Robert Kramer, Co-medical Director of the Digestive Health Institute and the Director of Endoscopy at Children's Hospital Colorado.

"It was terrifying," said Ella's mother Elizabeth McBrien. "I was losing it, he luckily kept it together."

"They were pinching bowel and causing the early formation of a hole within the bowel by the time we got in there," said Dr. Kramer.

"That can have very significant implications," said Dr. Kramer. "In the worst cases there has been deaths associated with these."

"We are seeing these cases come back again. And cases like where we have to do significant intervention," said Dr. Kramer.

"Huge relief, huge relief," said Elizabeth McBrien. "So see her now, she clearly doesn’t look like she had two procedures last week."