4 ms·

As someone who didn't realize about the risk of those things. And cursory google doesn't seem to have that much info, what exactly is the risk of swallowing the

by NhanH 12y ago

As someone who didn't realize about the risk of those things. And cursory google doesn't seem to have that much info, what exactly is the risk of swallowing them?

jeorgun 12y ago
From my understanding, they're only dangerous if you swallow more than one of them; then they can attract each other through organ walls and cause serious damage.
unethical_ban 12y ago
If multiple small magnets are ingested, they will likely pinch and rot tissue while working through the intestines. Without reading, I don't know if any children (the main culprits of swallowing small items) have died, but I know some have gone to the ER.
deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
lisper 12y ago
Swallowing one is no problem. But if you swallow two of them separately then they can attract each other while traveling through your intestines. The magnetic force is strong enough to perforate your intestines, requiring surgery. Without treatment they can lead to sepsis and death. I'm all for keeping them legal (I have several sets of Buckyballs) but they can be seriously dangerous. That combined with the fact that they look perfectly innocent is the real problem.
- justinpombrio 12y ago
  AFAIK this is still hypothetical: there is no confirmed case of this ever happening. Not to say that there's no risk, just that it's evidently a small one.
  - eurleif 12y ago
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neodymium_magnet_toys https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neodymium_magnet_toys >The Centers for Disease Control reported 33 cases requiring surgery and one death.
    - smsm42 12y ago
      That's 11 injuries and 0.3 deaths per year. Bathtubs claim about 80 fatal and 100 non-fatal drownings per year. Judging from this data, assuming the risk stays the same over time, you have to play with magnets for roughly about 1000 years for your risk to be one micromort[1]. Same one micromort risk is assumed by drinking two glasses of wine or walking for 17 miles. Playing with a magnet for a year is as dangerous as eating a banana (bananas are radioactive). [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micromort https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micromort
      - goblin89 12y ago
        > That's 11 injuries and 0.3 deaths per year. Bathtubs claim about 80 fatal and 100 non-fatal drownings per year. I'm not a stats guy, but it seems like this comparison would be more useful if we somehow account for the difference between the number of bathtubs installed and the number of neodymium magnet toys purchased among the population.
        smsm42 12y ago
        You can go both ways on this. If something were purchased by almost nobody, why ban it? OTOH, if something is purchased by almost everybody, and hurts hundreds of people just in the US every year, shouldn't something be done? If you talk about risk to the average person, it all sums up.
    - justinpombrio 12y ago
      Thanks for the correction!
  - deleted 12y ago
    [deleted]
- victorhooi 12y ago
  As well as this being a hypothetical...err, what do you mean they look perfectly innocent? I'm not even sure what this phrase means. You don't just randomly put s*it in your mouth because it "looks innocent". If I saw a colourless liquid on a table, and I didn't know where it was from, I wouldn't just randomly drink it. Likewise with just randomly picking up plastic bits and eating them. However, if you're talking about young kids who are liable to put anything in their mouth, then "looking innocent" doesn't even enter into the equation. As a parent, you should be looking after your kids, and childproofing your house - you wouldn't put scissors on a table, or a kitchen knife within reach, or bleach or other household cleaning liquids, or a hammer, or nails. And you wouldn't let them unattended near a swimming pool, or let them near the stove in the kitchen, or let them walk in a park without supervision. All of these are basic parental responsibilities - I don't see how these magnets are any better or worse than letting your kid eat a staple, or a nail etc. I mean, as a kid, I shoved a lego up my nose (yeah, I was a smart cookie), and had to be rushed to the doctors. Another time, I nearly ate dog poo. Did both of those things (lego and go poo) look "innocent"?
  - spc476 12y ago
    These things happen. An ex-girlfriend's 8 year old (at the time) swallowed two small kitchen magnets (they were the small type embedded in what looks like a push-pin top). At the time it was suggested by the doctor that he might have had pica (http://kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/behavior/pica.html http://kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/behavior/pica.html) and that's why he ate the darned things.
  - lisper 12y ago
    > You don't just randomly put s*it in your mouth because it "looks innocent". Kids do.
deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
spinlock 12y ago
Two magnets can steady each other with a fold of your intestine inbetween. It will cause an ulcer and require surgury. It's actually really bad.
jms 12y ago
If you swallow two (or one and it breaks in half), there's a risk that they'll clamp together inside you, with your intestines in between. Having played with neodymium magnets, having this happen to your finger or ear isn't pleasant, but the real risk is that they'll clamp together and tear a hole through your guts.

by NhanH 12y ago

As someone who didn't realize about the risk of those things. And cursory google doesn't seem to have that much info, what exactly is the risk of swallowing them?

jeorgun 12y ago

From my understanding, they're only dangerous if you swallow more than one of them; then they can attract each other through organ walls and cause serious damage.

unethical_ban 12y ago

If multiple small magnets are ingested, they will likely pinch and rot tissue while working through the intestines. Without reading, I don't know if any children (the main culprits of swallowing small items) have died, but I know some have gone to the ER.

deleted 12y ago

[deleted]

lisper 12y ago

Swallowing one is no problem. But if you swallow two of them separately then they can attract each other while traveling through your intestines. The magnetic force is strong enough to perforate your intestines, requiring surgery. Without treatment they can lead to sepsis and death. I'm all for keeping them legal (I have several sets of Buckyballs) but they can be seriously dangerous. That combined with the fact that they look perfectly innocent is the real problem.

justinpombrio 12y ago
AFAIK this is still hypothetical: there is no confirmed case of this ever happening. Not to say that there's no risk, just that it's evidently a small one.
- eurleif 12y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neodymium_magnet_toys https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neodymium_magnet_toys >The Centers for Disease Control reported 33 cases requiring surgery and one death.
  - smsm42 12y ago
    That's 11 injuries and 0.3 deaths per year. Bathtubs claim about 80 fatal and 100 non-fatal drownings per year. Judging from this data, assuming the risk stays the same over time, you have to play with magnets for roughly about 1000 years for your risk to be one micromort[1]. Same one micromort risk is assumed by drinking two glasses of wine or walking for 17 miles. Playing with a magnet for a year is as dangerous as eating a banana (bananas are radioactive). [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micromort https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micromort
    - goblin89 12y ago
      > That's 11 injuries and 0.3 deaths per year. Bathtubs claim about 80 fatal and 100 non-fatal drownings per year. I'm not a stats guy, but it seems like this comparison would be more useful if we somehow account for the difference between the number of bathtubs installed and the number of neodymium magnet toys purchased among the population.
      - smsm42 12y ago
        You can go both ways on this. If something were purchased by almost nobody, why ban it? OTOH, if something is purchased by almost everybody, and hurts hundreds of people just in the US every year, shouldn't something be done? If you talk about risk to the average person, it all sums up.
  - justinpombrio 12y ago
    Thanks for the correction!
- deleted 12y ago
  [deleted]
victorhooi 12y ago
As well as this being a hypothetical...err, what do you mean they look perfectly innocent? I'm not even sure what this phrase means. You don't just randomly put s*it in your mouth because it "looks innocent". If I saw a colourless liquid on a table, and I didn't know where it was from, I wouldn't just randomly drink it. Likewise with just randomly picking up plastic bits and eating them. However, if you're talking about young kids who are liable to put anything in their mouth, then "looking innocent" doesn't even enter into the equation. As a parent, you should be looking after your kids, and childproofing your house - you wouldn't put scissors on a table, or a kitchen knife within reach, or bleach or other household cleaning liquids, or a hammer, or nails. And you wouldn't let them unattended near a swimming pool, or let them near the stove in the kitchen, or let them walk in a park without supervision. All of these are basic parental responsibilities - I don't see how these magnets are any better or worse than letting your kid eat a staple, or a nail etc. I mean, as a kid, I shoved a lego up my nose (yeah, I was a smart cookie), and had to be rushed to the doctors. Another time, I nearly ate dog poo. Did both of those things (lego and go poo) look "innocent"?
- spc476 12y ago
  These things happen. An ex-girlfriend's 8 year old (at the time) swallowed two small kitchen magnets (they were the small type embedded in what looks like a push-pin top). At the time it was suggested by the doctor that he might have had pica (http://kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/behavior/pica.html http://kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/behavior/pica.html) and that's why he ate the darned things.
- lisper 12y ago
  > You don't just randomly put s*it in your mouth because it "looks innocent". Kids do.

deleted 12y ago

[deleted]

spinlock 12y ago

Two magnets can steady each other with a fold of your intestine inbetween. It will cause an ulcer and require surgury. It's actually really bad.

jms 12y ago

If you swallow two (or one and it breaks in half), there's a risk that they'll clamp together inside you, with your intestines in between. Having played with neodymium magnets, having this happen to your finger or ear isn't pleasant, but the real risk is that they'll clamp together and tear a hole through your guts.