Why are magnets dangerous if swallowed?

Answer 1

It seems that the danger is in swallowing more than one magnet. I could find nothing suggesting it is dangerous to swallow a SINGLE magnet. Of course, this is only likely to happen among children or those whose intellect is childlike, but the following answer was the best I could locate: "If a child swallows more than one magnet, the magnets can attract each other, drawing them together from different parts of the intestinal tract. "Once magnetically attached across bowel walls, magnets are unlikely to disengage spontaneously," says Dr. Reznik, assistant professor of Pediatrics at Children's Hospital at Montefiore in the Bronx, N.Y. "This may cause intestinal perforation, infection and obstruction, which can be fatal." If there are vessels present between attracted bowel walls, severe hemorrhage can also occur. "Moreover, initial signs and symptoms of swallowed magnets are nonspecific, leading to delayed diagnosis and greater injury," Dr. Reznik says." Ref: http://www.babiestoday.com/articles/general-safety-issues/toddlers-and-magnets-a-dangerous-attraction-5063/