THE SOUTHERN

Attorney General Lisa Madigan today urged parents to call her office's product recall hotline at 1-888-414-7678 following the recent recall of an additional 2.4 million magnetic toys. With more than 22 million magnetic toys having been recalled since 2006, Madigan said parents need help identifying dangerous children's products that may still be in their homes.

Madigan said the hotline is a simple way for parents to determine immediately whether they have any of unsafe toys in their homes.

This latest round of recalls included 1.1 million units of Magtastik and Magnetix Jr. Pre-school Magnetic Toys and 1.3 million units of MagnaMan Magnetic Toy Figures. The magnets, which were sold by Mega Brands America, Inc., can detach and potentially be swallowed by a child or cause a child to choke. If a child swallows more than one magnet, the magnets can attract each other and cause intestinal perforations or blockages, which can be fatal.

As part of her efforts to protect consumers from unsafe products, Madigan also has produced a Safe Shopping Guide to help consumers identify recalled products in their homes and explain how to contact companies to repair or return affected products. Copies are available free of charge by calling the hotline, visiting www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov or from her main and regional offices.

Consumers can contact MEGA Brands America for replacements and further information at (800) 779-7122 between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the firm's Web site at www.megabrands.com.

Consumers are also encouraged to sign up for e-mail alerts about the latest government recalls at www.recalls.gov.