The following is excerpted from 21 June 2013 news release by Health Canada.
.. the Government announced the first-ever mandatory recall in Canada for a consumer product. NeoMagnetic Gadgets Inc. was ordered to issue a recall and stop sale after the company failed to take voluntary action to remove their novelty magnet sets from the marketplace. These sets contain small, powerful magnets that can be easily swallowed by children.
In April, the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, announced to industry that the Government would take action to have some dangerous magnet sets removed from the marketplace. In May, the department also issued an advisory and a news releaseto warn the public about the dangers of these types of magnet sets…
NeoMagnetic Gadgets Inc. has complied with the order and a recall notice was published on Health Canada's website. Consumers should immediately stop using these products and follow instructions for their safe disposal.
If a company refuses to comply with an order, they can face daily fines of up to $25,000 until the product is removed from store shelves.
In Canada, the United States and other countries, there have been a number of cases of children requiring emergency surgical treatment to remove swallowed magnets from their intestines. ..
The CCPSA authorizes a range of compliance and enforcement actions, including recalls, seizures or prosecution. Orders can be issued to companies to recall unsafe products or to take measures such as stopping the sale, importation or manufacturing of a product. In the majority of cases, companies voluntarily take the action required to address the risk to Canadians.
This news release is available in its entirety at: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ahc-asc/media/nr-cp/_2013/2013-84-eng.php.