Buckyballs and Buckycubes were high-powered, small rare earth magnets that were imported into the United States by Maxfield and Oberton Holdings, LLC, from Ningbo Prosperous Imports \& Exports in Ningbo City, China. The products, which consist of individual magnets packaged as aggregated masses in different size containers of 10,125 , and 216 magnets, became enormously popular, with over 3 million of the products sold within the United States. Initially, ads for Buckyballs compared them to the wildly successful hula hoops and Silly Putty of the 1960s. That comparison brought a new customer base for the product, and by 2009, Buckyballs were being sold as an adult executive toy and/or stress reliever. The price range for Buckyballs was \(\$ 19.95\) to \(\$ 100.00\). Children under the age of 14 ( 52 of them) ingested the Buckyballs. Their powerful magnetic force caused the intestinal walls to pinch or create a trap, a condition that resulted in progressive tissue injury. Some children became septic, and removal required endoscopic or surgical procedures that left children with permanent scarring. The greatest danger was that the symptoms began as simply a stomach upset, and treatment was often not pursued, with the result being progressive deterioration of the intestines. Because Buckyballs were such a new and fast-moving phenomenon, many physicians were not aware of the source of the intestinal problems they were trying to diagnose, something that resulted in further delays in treatment..........

 Discussion Questions
1. Why wasn't a warning enough with Buckyballs?
2. Explain why Maxfield and Oberton Holdings, the importing company, struggled to keep its product available.
3. Is personal responsibility an issue in product use and product liability?