A 13-year-old boy in New Zealand was hospitalized after swallowing up to 100 magnets, raising safety concerns about online sales of such items.
A 13-year-old boy in New Zealand was hospitalized and underwent major surgery after swallowing as many as 100 tiny magnets. The incident has sparked growing safety concerns regarding the accessibility of high-power magnets sold online.
The teenager experienced four days of stomach pain before being admitted to Tauranga Hospital. Medical professionals determined that he had ingested between 80 and 100 high-power magnets, each measuring approximately 5×2 millimeters. This alarming case was detailed in a report published in the New Zealand Medical Journal.
The report emphasizes that the ease of purchasing high-power magnets online at low prices is a significant concern for pediatric safety. “Accessibility to high-power magnets is a rising concern for our pediatric population,” the report states.
Upon examination, an X-ray revealed four chains of magnets lodged together in the boy’s abdomen. Surgeons operated to remove the magnets along with damaged sections of his intestines. Fortunately, the boy was released from the hospital eight days after the surgery.
Ingesting multiple magnets can lead to life-threatening injuries, and surgical intervention is often necessary. Such procedures can also result in complications later in life, underscoring the seriousness of the issue.
Both New Zealand and Australia have implemented bans on the sale of small high-powered magnets. However, enforcing these bans in online marketplaces poses a significant challenge, as highlighted in the report.
In this particular case, the magnets were reportedly purchased from the online marketplace Temu. A spokesperson for Temu informed Fox News Digital that the company is investigating the incident and has reached out to the authors of the report for further details.
“We are sorry to learn about the reported incident and wish the boy a full and speedy recovery,” the spokesperson stated in an email. “We take product safety very seriously and continuously monitor our platform to ensure sellers are complying with the safety regulations of the markets they are doing business in.”
While Temu has not yet been able to identify the specific product listing or confirm whether the magnets were indeed purchased from its platform, the spokesperson assured that the company is reviewing relevant listings to ensure compliance with local safety requirements.
“Any products found to be non-compliant will be removed, and we will take firm action against any sellers found to have breached our platform rules or local regulations,” the spokesperson added.
This incident serves as a stark reminder of the potential dangers associated with easily accessible products sold online, particularly those that can pose serious health risks to children.
Source: Original article