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How strong would a magnetic field have to be to kill you?

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Re: How strong would a magnetic field have to be to kill you?

#32
post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not necessarily. Iron oxide is somewhat ferromagnetic but iron chloride is paramagnetic. So just having some iron atoms in something isn't enough to make it ferromagnetic. http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/questions/question/28...

Indeed, even stainless steel isn't necessarily ferromagnetic, even though it's mostly iron.

Even very hot iron is not magnetic. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curie_temperature )

Re: How strong would a magnetic field have to be to kill you?

#33
post #5
post #2

Wouldn't iron in blood be affected well before this point though?

Bulk iron is ferromagnetic, but many iron-containing molecules are not. Haemoglobin is not ferromagnetic. http://www.revisemri.com/blog/2006/mri-blood-iron-attraction...

I'd heard that severe haemochromatosis could trigger a metal detector. Is that just an urban legend?

Re: How strong would a magnetic field have to be to kill you?

#35
post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Bulk iron is ferromagnetic, but many iron-containing molecules are not. Haemoglobin is not ferromagnetic. http://www.revisemri.com/blog/2006/mri-blood-iron-attraction...

I'd heard that severe haemochromatosis could trigger a metal detector. Is that just an urban legend?

It is paramagnetic, depending on oxygenation, so maybe.

Re: How strong would a magnetic field have to be to kill you?

#36
post #28
post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For a practical example of this, see 'Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation': http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcranial_magnetic_stimulati...

TMS uses magnetic fields that change with time while the linked article talks about the effect of static magnetic fields.

While this is true, the point was that weak magnetic fields have an effect on human cognition.

Re: How strong would a magnetic field have to be to kill you?

#38

3 Tesla Magnetic field MRI's are now common and I have heard rumors of up to 7T machines in the works: http://www.healthdiagnostics.com/svc_hi_field.php

This actually a huge issue for space travel, all of the random electronics and possibly magnetic radiation shielding may be serious. http://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/niac/westover_rad...

Re: How strong would a magnetic field have to be to kill you?

#39

3 Tesla Magnetic field MRI's are now common and I have heard rumors of up to 7T machines in the works: http://www.healthdiagnostics.com/svc_hi_field.php

Interesting: ... "scientific research can provide some measure of confidence that short-term, acute exposures up to about 1-2 T [1000-2000 milliT] should be safe... However, it is not possible to determine whether there are any long-term health consequences even from exposure in the milliT range because, to date, there are no well-conducted epidemiological studies with sufficient power to be able to come to any conclusion on this, and there are no good long-term animal studies."

http://www1.mcw.edu/radiationoncology/ourdepartment/radiatio...

Re: How strong would a magnetic field have to be to kill you?

#40

I think that you'd end up with neurological effects before the electrons were ripped out of atoms. I mean, our nervous system is effectively controlled ionic exchange.

Here's a video of someone braver than myself experimenting with the effects of magnetism on his brain while he speaks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJtNPqCj-iA
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