Consumer Protection Shouldn’t be All or Nothing

via Politico By Shihan Qu Published MARCH 28, 2020 There is a controversy brewing in Congress, inflamed by recent media attention, over whether small powerful magnets sold as adult products should be banned for Americans of all ages because children have been injured by swallowing them. This controversy is a surrogate for a broader discussion about the role of the Consumer Product Safety...
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ASTM to Consider Non-Toy Strong-Magnets Standard

via Product Safety Letter Published FEBRUARY 25, 2019 ASTM February 19 began the process of moving towards an F15 standard for high-powered, separable magnets not sold as toys. An impetus was increasing online sales, many of which blur the lines with toys or even claim or imply that the products are appropriate for children. The broad idea is to address warnings, packaging and labeling. More...
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Shihan Qu Battles Federal Regulators

Via The Westword By Alan Prendergast Published JANUARY 20, 2018 Shihan Qu thought he knew a thing or two about small, round magnets and their capacity to attract — not only each other, but artists, scientists and hobbyists, drawn by the magnets’ quirky behavior and simple elegance. What he hadn’t counted on, though, was their ability to attract trouble. The first sign of trouble arrived on his...
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Saving Magnets A Massive Battle

Via The Huffington Post By Jeremy Kutner Published AUGUST 21, 2017 Shihan Qu stood before an industrial gas furnace in a cavernous metal treatment plant on the outskirts of Denver wearing a novelty tuxedo T-shirt and dark-framed hipsterish glasses. He was there to hear a eulogy for his magnets. “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today in solemn remembrance and fond celebration of the lives of...
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Shihan vs Goliath

Via Conversations with Consumers By Nancy Nord Published MAY 12, 2015 As the saga of the magnets ban continues to unfold, last week another chapter was added when the CPSC brought yet another action against Zen Magnets, the one company that has refused the CPSC’s demand to do a recall.  But this time the agency sued not only the company but also its young founder, Shihan Qu, in his personal...
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Government Immorally Bans Magnet Spheres; Zen Vows to Fight

Via The Objective Standard By Ari Armstrong Published OCT. 17, 2014 “On September 24, the CPSC [Consumer Product Safety Commission] commissioners voted 4-0 to ban small, high-powered magnets,” Melanie Asmar reports for Westword. The CPSC has already driven almost every U.S. seller of these magnets out of businesses, including, most infamously, Buckyballs. Now a single company, Zen Magnets,...
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