A 13-year-old boy in New Zealand underwent emergency surgery after swallowing nearly 100 high-powered magnets that became lodged in his digestive tract.
The boy was admitted to Tauranga Hospital on New Zealand’s North Island, where doctors discovered the magnets had linked together inside his gut, forming several chains that restricted blood flow to nearby tissues.
According to a report published Friday in the New Zealand Medical Journal, surgeons removed “approximately 80–100 5x2mm high-power neodymium magnets.” X-rays revealed four separate chains of magnets in different sections of his intestines.
The boy, who was not identified, remained hospitalized for eight days following the procedure. Doctors cautioned that he could face long-term complications, including bowel obstructions, hernias, and chronic abdominal pain.
Although New Zealand banned the sale of small high-powered magnets in 2013, the report stated that the boy obtained them from the online retailer Temu. The ban was implemented after multiple incidents involving children ingesting the magnets.
“These magnets are harmless to play with, but if swallowed can cause serious internal damage that may require major surgery,” said Simon Bridges, New Zealand’s former consumer affairs minister, when the ban took effect.
Despite the prohibition, Professor Alex Sims from the University of Auckland’s Department of Commercial Law noted that some online retailers continue selling them. “The Commerce Commission has taken at least two retailers to court for selling the magnets and therefore breaching the Notice,” Sims said in a written statement.
In response to the incident, Temu told NBC News that it had not yet confirmed whether the magnets were purchased through its platform. “We are sorry to learn about the reported incident and wish the boy a full and speedy recovery,” a Temu spokesperson said.
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