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Having worked in an industry which uses these things a lot, I can personally attest that neodymium magnets are dangerous. Somebody I know nearly had his little finger crushed when it was sandwiched between 2 magnets attracting each other.

I am not sure what ZenMagnets are for, or how powerful they are, but if they are like the magnets I worked with, I certainly can see how they present a danger to people who choose to ingest them (eg kids).

That doesn't necessarily mean I agree with the ban though.

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Zen Magnets (and their better-known competitor, Buckyballs) are spherical magnets sold mainly to geeks as desk decorations. Example: http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/science/bbe8/b/ . Both brands have prominent warnings against being used by children.

The ban appears to be driven by reports such as http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/30349192/detail.html , in which a retail shop sold magnets to a 5-year-old.

No, the shop did not sell Buckyballs "to a 5 year old".

The shop had them behind the counter (clue) and with obvious warnings. The 5 year old's mom insisted on purchasing them anyway. Mom is an idiot.

Thompson said she never saw the warnings that say, "Keep away from all children."

Ok, ignore the behind the counter and the blatantly labeled box...

"It never occurred to me that he swallowed something or that these could be something that he swallowed or that it would be something that was dangerous that he swallowed," said Thompson.

Oh really?

[The 5 year old] thought he was eating tiny silver candies called "dragees." The miniature ball-shaped candies are often used to decorate cakes and cookies. They are edible and even to an adult, look nearly identical to the powerful Buckyball magnets.

Where had he seen these, I wonder? Mom?

Excited about a dramatic "Death Traps at 10!" news story, the TV station sent reporters to the stores selling these...

The CALL7 Investigators went undercover to see if stores were warning parents and found that many are. The packaging also has several warnings that read "Keep away from all children."

http://www.getbuckyballs.com/images/xwarning.png.pagespeed.i...

Mom says "Gee, didn't see it." Mom is negligent.

Actual packaging: http://www.getbuckyballs.com/blog/wp-content/themes/buckybal... It's not a microdot.

// 30% of young child deaths are due to cribs, 16% due to bathtub seats, 12% due to car seats, and 10% to playpens. Are we banning cribs?

Larger neodymium magnets are indeed quite capable of pinching or crushing a finger. The magnets we're talking about, while quite strong for their comparative size, are not THAT strong. I don't even think they're strong enough to attract one another through the thickness of a finger.