Identification

• Swallowing a magnet or any other hard object potentially blocks your intestinal tract, according to WebMD. In 10 to 20 percent of cases where someone swallows a magnet, a doctor must remove it.
  
  

Misconception

• Magnets are neither harmful nor dangerous to most people. Alternative medicine often promotes magnets as a form of pain relief, but as of 2010, no studies prove any definitive medicinal benefit of small magnets, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM).
  
  

Warning

• Magnets are potentially dangerous when applied to the skin of people who use a pacemakers or defibrillators, according to the NCCAM.