Add swallowed magnets to your list of child health threats in 2007. It seems new technology has allowed the proliferation of small, powerful magnets for use in toys and games. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports this month on several cases of complications arising from magnet ingestion. All the cases involve kids swallowing more than one magnet.
The issue of magnets and tummies comes down to where the ingested magnets connect. If two or three powerful magnets are swallowed and find each other in the stomach they’ll likely remain happily attached during their journey through the intestinal tract. If, however, the magnets are in different parts of the intestinal tract then find one another through the thin wall of the bowel, their powerful attraction can create problems. In the cases reported, the constant pressure of the tight magnetic linkage created pressure on the bowel wall that ultimately eroded through causing intestinal perforation. Abnormal ‘linking’ of intestinal loops that are near one another can create twisting and blockage of the bowel. Isolated magnets swallowed by children don’t appear to be a problem since they have nothing to stick to.
It’s been suggested in the medical literature that handheld metal detectors may have a role in the localization of ingested foreign bodies. An interesting variation on this idea suggested in one case report: try a compass.
So be on the lookout for toys with small magnetic pieces. These should be avoided in children under age 6 years. Any question of foreign body ingestion warrants a call to your doctor.