A popular craze sweeping around the world has both parents and medical authorities concerned.
Loom bands are created by weaving together different coloured rubber rings and are swapped among children. Made popular by celebrities such as the Duchess of Cambridge, the bands are now in the news for the wrong reasons.
Two recent examples highlighted in a July 9 Daily Mail article reveals the risk that the bands can cause.
In one incident, a seven-year old boy was left blind in one eye after his brother accidently shot him in the face with one of the bands. Kyle Lawrence suffered a blood clot in his left eye and now requires surgery to see whether his sight can be restored.
His mother, Carlie, believes all loom bands should carry a safety warning and parents should carefully monitor children who are using them.
"There should be a warning on the packet – children shouldn't be doing the stretching. It's terrible that this has happened. I've had other parents come forward and say that something similar has happened, but not as bad," she said.
According to another example, a Bristol GP dealt with a young boy suffering from a lack of blood circulation in two of his fingers. He had wound the bands onto his fingers before falling asleep without removing them. It was lucky that his parents were close by before any major damage occurred.
Senior GP, Dr Anne-Marie Houlder, told Metro that there are a number of safety risks associated with the loom bands so parents need to be vigilant.
"They could be a choking hazard or cause circulatory problems if children swallow or wrap them round their fingers for any length of time," she said.
"Parents need to be aware of the potential dangers if children are left unattended."
Some UK schools have banned loom bands for safety and health reasons, and some Australian schools are also following suit.
Product liability in NSW
If your child is injured by a product because it has broken or something has occurred that wasn't warned against, your family could be eligible for compensation.
Choking injuries from products are common so if you believe you have a case, contact a compensation lawyer at Gerard Malouf & Partners.
These lawyers operate on a no win no fee basis so they can advise you on your chances of success free of charge – if they think you have a case, it's completely up to you whether you engage their services.
