X-ray showing magnetic currents in the New Zealand teenager’s abdomen.
A 13-year-old boy in New Zealand had part of his intestine surgically removed after ingesting almost 200 high-powered magnets.
According to the case report, this Friday at The New Zealand Medical Journalthe child presented to the hospital with abdominal pain, admitting to having swallowed dozens of neodymium magnets about a week before.
Once inside the abdomen, the small metallic objects came together, as the report describes, in a destructive way. By compressing, they were causing several areas of tissue to die due to lack of blood, in a phenomenon known as pressure necrosis.
Although surgeons were forced to remove part of his intestine, the teenager recovered well and was discharged eight days later.
“Small, high-powered magnets have been sold as toys for adults and children. Unfortunately, they often appear as small, brightly colored spheres, making them attractions for children to swallow”, said the commercial law researcher, Alex Simsfrom the University of Auckland, at .
The reason why the teenager swallowed the magnets is not included in the report.
Recently, government authorities in New Zealand warned of a trend on social media where children are encouraged to use magnets to create tongue, nose or lip piercings. These can be accidentally swallowed, with dangerous consequences.
As Science Alert recalls, in 2013, after a series of hospitalizations due to magnets, New Zealand authorities permanently banned the sale of those made from neodymium-iron-boron (NIB). These are known as “rare earth magnets” and are up to 50 times stronger than common ferrous magnets.
However, the doctors responsible for the case say it is “alarming” how difficult it is to enforce New Zealand’s ban.
Even when parents are vigilant, mistakes can happen. In 2024, a young New Zealander swallowed two rare earth magnets at a birthday party. “When the doctors took the x-rays, it was easy to see that the magnets had bonded together,” said the mother.
In this case, one magnet had passed into the intestine and another had remained in the stomach. The magnetic force caused them to bind through the tissue and cause a stomach rupture. The child had to undergo emergency surgery.
