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I'm curious: what exactly makes these magnets so dangerous when swallowed? Is it just the case that if multiple magnets are swallowed, they will clump together

I'm curious: what exactly makes these magnets so dangerous when swallowed? Is it just the case that if multiple magnets are swallowed, they will clump together and cause obstructions, or is there more to it? A single magnet ought to pass through easily and be pretty benign, right? Contrast to button-cell / "coin" batteries which are incredibly dangerous if ingested, and where swallowing a single one can cause severe internal burns or even death. Yet we don't see many calls to ban these, despite being very common in all kinds of household devices...

DanBC 8y ago
When you swallow two magnets they can attract each other and perforate the stomach or intestine. > Yet we don't see many calls to ban these, despite being very common in all kinds of household devices... Battery compartments now come screwed shut, where they didn't in the past. This is because of the danger of button batteries. We can't ban the batteries because they have widespread legitimate use. Toy magnets don't.