A 13-year-old boy in New Zealand was hospitalized after swallowing between 80 and 100 small high-powered magnets that he reportedly purchased through the online marketplace Temu.
According to a report published in the New Zealand Medical Journal on Friday, October 24, the child, whose name has not been released, was admitted to Tauranga Hospital after experiencing abdominal pain for four days. Medical researchers said the boy had ingested the magnets approximately one week before his hospital visit.
An X-ray revealed “four linear chains of magnets” that had linked together inside his digestive tract. The chains were made up of “approximately 80–100 5x2mm high-power (neodymium) magnets,” which the patient claimed to have purchased online.
The medical team that treated the boy noted in their report that “foreign body ingestion is common in [pediatric] patients,” though in most cases, objects pass through the body naturally without causing injury. However, the report warned that certain ingested materials, especially magnets, can cause serious damage, including “pressure necrosis, perforation and fistulation,” sometimes requiring surgical removal.
In this case, doctors performed surgery to remove the magnets after determining that they were attached to different parts of the boy’s intestines but were “adhered together due to magnetic forces.” The operation was successful, and the patient was discharged eight days later with what the report described as a “successfully progressing diet.”
The study did not specify why the child swallowed the magnets, but highlighted growing concerns about the accessibility of high-powered magnetic materials to children. “Accessibility to high-power magnets is a rising concern for our [pediatric] population,” the researchers wrote, noting that such items are easily available through inexpensive online listings and international marketplaces that may not enforce local safety laws.
High-powered magnets, often made of neodymium, can pose significant health risks when ingested. If more than one magnet is swallowed, they can attract each other through different loops of the bowel, pinching and damaging intestinal tissue. This can lead to perforations, blockages, and life-threatening infections such as sepsis. Even with prompt medical treatment, long-term complications may occur.
Researchers noted that the magnets’ availability online, combined with their low price and the lack of age verification on some platforms, makes it easier for minors to purchase restricted products.
In response to the incident, a spokesperson for Temu told Radio New Zealand and Fox News that the company was “sorry to learn about the reported incident” and extended wishes for “a full and speedy recovery” to the boy.
The Temu representative added that the company “takes product safety very seriously and continuously monitors our platform to ensure sellers are complying with the safety regulations of the markets they are doing business in.”
The spokesperson said that Temu had not yet verified whether the magnets involved were purchased from its site or identified the specific listing. However, the company said its teams were reviewing all related product listings “to ensure full compliance with local safety requirements.”
“Any products found to be noncompliant will be removed,” the statement continued, adding that Temu would “take firm action against any sellers found to have breached our platform rules or local regulations.”