Powerful Magnets Deadly Threat to Children: Study

Magnets are one of the magical toys loved by children. Most children are instantly attracted to a cluster of shiny magnets. But parents should be aware of the risk factors this small fancy toy can pose.

Accidental ingestion of magnets is one of the growing problems among kids and poses a potentially deadly risk to small children.

According to a study published in the Canadian Medical Assn. Journal, the new type of powerful magnets available these days in toys and jewelry can prove very disastrous to the kids who swallow them.

The new neodymium iron boron magnets are 10-20 times more powerful than the traditional ferrite magnets.

The study highlights the case at a U.K. hospital where two children underwent surgery after accidentally swallowing multiple magnets.

If the child swallows one magnet, then one can rely on the magnet to pass through the digestive system. But the trouble occurs when the child swallows multiple magnets and they get attracted, sticking to each other through the intestinal walls thereby killing the surrounding tissue and triggering an infection that can cause death.

The magnets can range from a small marble size to a small pea size.

In this study, they examined the case of a 3-year-old that accidentally ingested three spherical magnets which attracted to each other, forming a loop in the boy's intestine. The boy developed severe abdominal pain, fever and his heart rate also increased. Surgery was conducted and the doctors found the clump of magnets eroded the boy's intestinal walls, reports LA Times.

"In a 2012 survey, members of the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition reported 480 cases of high-powered magnet ingestions in the previous 10 years, 204 of which were in the previous 12 months," the authors were quoted as saying in Fox News.

Parents should stop buying magnets that are sold as desk toys, as they can be the prime source of injury.