A 13-year-old boy underwent significant surgery after ingesting approximately 100 high-powered magnets purchased online on a Chinese marketplace called Temu. The incident led to surgeons in New Zealand removing a portion of the boy’s intestines due to abdominal pain caused by the magnets clustering in his digestive system.
The teenager, whose identity remains undisclosed, was admitted to Tauranga hospital in New Zealand’s North Island following four days of severe discomfort resulting from his unusual ingestion. Medical reports revealed that the boy had swallowed 80 to 100 5x2mm neodymium magnets a week before his hospitalization.
These magnets, known for their extreme strength, had been outlawed in New Zealand since January 2013. The magnets had clumped together into four elongated strips inside the boy’s intestines, leading to tissue damage and necrosis due to the magnetic pressure.
After undergoing surgery to remove the magnets and the damaged tissue, the boy was discharged from the hospital after an eight-day stay. The medical procedure carried out on the boy could potentially lead to future complications such as bowel obstruction and chronic pain, as mentioned by the authors of the medical journal article.
Temu expressed regret over the incident and initiated an internal review to ensure compliance with safety regulations in New Zealand. The e-commerce platform faced criticism in the EU for allegedly failing to remove illicit products from its site.
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