Magnet Injury Prevention Act

Bill: 116-hr-6105
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Cárdenas, Tony [D-CA-29]
Introduced: 2020-03-05
Policy area: Commerce
Subjects: Child safety and welfare

Consumer affairs

Metals

Product safety and quality
Latest action: action_date: 2020-03-05
text: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Summaries:
action_date: 2020-03-05
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>Magnet Injury Prevention Act</b></p> <p>This bill prohibits as hazardous consumer products specified small, high-powered magnets. The prohibition includes magnets that (1) are commonly marketed for entertainment (e.g., puzzle working or sculpture building); (2) are not classified as a toy or children&rsquo;s jewelry; (3) pose a choking, aspiration, or ingestion risk to young children; and (4) have a magnetic field magnitude above a certain threshold.</p>

tv_txt: I 116th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 6105 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES March 5, 2020 Mr. Cárdenas (for himself and Ms. Schrier ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce A BILL To ban certain small, high-powered magnets, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Magnet Injury Prevention Act . 2. Findings Congress makes the following findings: (1) Small, high-powered magnets are commonly sold in sets of 200 or more individual magnets. (2) Small, high-powered magnets pose a hidden hazard to infants, children, and teens. (3) When two or more high-powered magnets are ingested, the force (or flux) allows magnets to find each other across or between different segments of the digestive system. (4) When magnets connect across or between different segments of the digestive system, the result can be perforations, abscesses, or fistulas in the bowel. (5) Sometimes, the magnetic force causes the intestines to twist, cutting off blood supply and leading to bowel necrosis. (6) Ingestion of two or more high-powered magnets confers a high risk of abdominal catastrophe and death. (7) Children almost universally require high-cost medical intervention following high-powered magnet ingestions. (8) Evidence does not exist that warning information will sufficiently reduce the hazard associated with the ingestion of small, high-powered magnets from magnet sets. (9) The absence of regulatory action to reinstate standards for small, high-powered magnet sets requires legislative action. 3. Ban on certain magnets (a) Ban on certain small, high-Powered magnets Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, covered small, high-powered magnets, regardless of the date of manufacture, shall be considered a banned hazardous product under section 8 of the Consumer Product Safety Act ( 15 U.S.C. 2057 ). (b) Covered small, high-Powered magnet defined In this section, the term covered small, high-powered magnet means any individual or set of separable magnets that— (1) is— (A) a consumer product (as defined in section 3 of the Consumer Product Safety Act ( 15 U.S.C. 2052 )) that is— (i) intended, marketed, or commonly used as a manipulative or construction item for entertainment, such as puzzle working, sculpture building, mental stimulation, stress relief, or for similar entertainment; (ii) not a toy subject to ASTM F963 (or any successor standard); and (iii) not children’s jewelry that is subject to ASTM F2923 (or any successor standard); or (B) a component of a consumer product described in subparagraph (A); (2) is or contains any individual magnet that fits completely within the small parts cylinder described in section 1501.4 of title 16, Code of Federal Regulations; and (3) is or contains any individual magnet with a flux index of greater than 50 kG2 mm2.