Magnet ingestion has risen among kids, resulting in serious injury, and even death.

A new study scheduled for publication in The Journal of Pediatrics analyzed trends of children ingesting magnets. The study used cases from The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), the biggest children’s hospital in Canada.

Matt Strickland, MD, and a team of researchers analyzed cases that involved ingestion of foreign bodies that were dealt with at SickKids’ ER from 2002 to 2012. The study was then divided into two time frames: for visits to the ER between 2002 and 2009, and those between 2010 and 2012.

Researchers involved in the analysis limited their scope to the alimentary tract, since most of the serious issues stemming from magnet ingestion is caused by perforations of the stomach, small bowel and colon.

Among the visits analyzed over these time periods, 30 children had confirmed magnet ingestion. The overall number of magnet ingestion cases tripled from 2002-2009 to 2010-2012. Six cases required surgical intervention for possible imminent bowel perforation or sepsis, which all occurred during the 2010-2012 time frame. The average size of the magnets swallowed decreased by about 70 percent between these two time periods.

“More concerning, however, is the increased number of high-risk injuries featuring multiple, smaller magnets. Despite new magnet-specific toy standards, labeling requirements, product recalls, and safety advisories issued in the past 10 years, continuing efforts should focus on educating parents and children on the dangers inherent in magnetic ‘toys,'” said Dr. Strickland in a statement.