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8-year-old boy swallows magnetic toy, faces real-life 'Magneto' moment: ‘He was lucky…’
A kid from England accidentally swallowed magnetic balls while imitating a tongue piercing, leading to a hospital visit.
What began as a playful moment for 8-year-old Junior Gallon quickly turned into a medical emergency when he accidentally swallowed two small magnetic balls. According to the New York Post, Gallon initially placed the magnets on either side of his tongue, pretending to have a tongue piercing. However, the powerful magnets suddenly "shot" to the back of his throat and were swallowed.
“The 8-year-old accidentally swallowed a magnetic toy from Amazon, effectively turning him into X-Men’s Magneto," Kennedy News and Media reported.
“Junior had come out of his room and said, ‘Mummy, I’ve got an emergency.’ I went in and he said he swallowed two of these magnets. He burst out crying."
Mcfarlane added, “He said he thought it would be ‘cool’ having a tongue piercing. He had tried to make it look like a tongue piercing, and as soon as he had done that, they pinged off his tongue and popped together.”
The family had always warned Gallon not to put magnets near his mouth. Despite knowing this, Mcfarlane said the boy “panicked when he swallowed them because he knew it was the wrong thing to do.”
Rushing him to the hospital, doctors conducted an X-ray and discovered the magnets clumped in Gallon’s stomach.
“He was lucky they pinned together before he swallowed them; it could’ve been a completely different story,” Mcfarlane noted.
Caution
Medical professionals warned that if the magnets had attached on opposite sides of the stomach or bowels, it could have led to severe internal damage. Fortunately, they moved together to the right side of Gallon’s body, and doctors advised waiting for them to pass naturally.
The doctors cautioned the family against exposure to magnets or metal items, including clothing with zippers, as they might disturb the position of the magnets inside his body.
“They told us to keep magnetic items and clothes away from him, even [zippers], because the magnets in his body can follow the zips,” Mcfarlane said.
Eventually, a follow-up X-ray confirmed that the magnets had exited his body without complications.
“You hear horror stories when kids do die, with batteries and stuff, so you instantly think the worst,” Mcfarlane admitted. “His dad and I really prepared ourselves, but it was a massive relief when we realised he was okay.”
An Amazon spokesperson expressed concern over the incident, stating, “Safety is a top priority at Amazon, and we require all products offered in our store to comply with applicable laws, regulations, and our policies." They confirmed the removal of the magnetic toy while further investigations are underway.
“I was in shock by the incident and how dangerous it could be,” she said.
