A 13-year-old boy in New Zealand ended up in the hospital after swallowing between 80 and 100 small, high-powered magnets, according to a case report published in the New Zealand Medical Journal. The incident was so severe that doctors had to remove part of his bowel to save his life.
The report didn’t name the boy or the hospital where he was treated, but it said each magnet was about 5 by 2 millimeters in size — tiny enough to swallow but powerful enough to cause major internal damage.
The teen reportedly had stomach pain for four days before going to the hospital. When he arrived, he told doctors he had eaten the magnets about a week earlier. It’s unclear why he did it or how.
Doctors explained in the report that swallowing multiple magnets is extremely dangerous because they can attract each other through the walls of the intestines or stomach, trapping tissue in between. This can cause perforations, blockages, or even tissue death — often requiring surgery.
High-powered magnets like the ones the boy swallowed are sometimes sold as desk toys or stress-relief gadgets for adults, but they’re far stronger than typical refrigerator magnets. According to CBS News, they can be five to ten times more powerful.
Scans showed the magnets inside the boy’s abdomen had linked together into four long chains in his bowel and near the start of his large intestine. The number of magnets made it difficult for imaging machines to get a clear picture, so doctors had no choice but to operate.
During surgery, they found that the chains of magnets were pressing against the intestinal walls, cutting off blood flow and causing what’s known as pressure necrosis — when tissue dies from being squeezed too tightly for too long. Surgeons carefully removed all the magnets and the damaged section of bowel. Thankfully, the boy recovered well after the procedure and was released from the hospital after eight days.
Although New Zealand has permanently banned the sale of high-powered magnets, enforcing the rule has proven tough. The magnets are cheap and easy to buy from online retailers overseas. The boy told doctors he bought the magnets on Temu, the popular shopping site known for its low-cost gadgets and accessories.
Temu released a statement to CBS News saying, “We are sorry to learn about the reported incident and wish the boy a full and speedy recovery.” A company spokesperson added that they hadn’t yet confirmed whether the magnets were purchased through their platform, but said an internal review was underway.
“While these products are lawful to sell, they can be dangerous if swallowed and we support efforts to raise public awareness about magnet safety,” Temu said.
The case has once again raised alarms among doctors and safety advocates who have long warned about the risks of powerful magnets in homes with children. For one New Zealand family, a set of tiny magnets turned into a medical emergency no one saw coming.