Magnet in a flashlight bad for your health?

[daflip702]

Unfortunately not a side effect I've noticed.

Geoff

Woman from the bar:"Is that a flashlight with a magnet in your pants or you're jus....errr hmm?....didn't see THAT coming.?!

FYI: Magnets are NOT dangerous...Usage might be

 

[Tally-ho]

Earth is a giant magnet, so if a small magnet was bad for health...we would be screwed. :devil:

 

[LotusDarkrose]

I suspect it might be a problem if you have balls of steel...:nana:

 

[Harry999]

LotusDarkrose,

That is awesome!

 

[red02]

.... aren't the most common types of steel non-ferromagnetic?

Theres no theory why the magnets will cause damage. Magnets do not cause damage like ionizing radiation (UV, X-rays, etc.). The gauss of the magnet is strongest at the surface. Typically the strength of a magnet decreases by 1/distance^3 from the center. Once you get 2-4cm away the flux will be very low.

 

[wyager]

Magnets aren't bad for your health. Small animals have been exposed to (and levitated in) 16 tesla magnetic fields with no ill effects. (see http://web.archive.org/web/20070211113825/http://www.HFML.RU.nl/pics/Movies/frog.mpg)
Compare that to the 1-1.4 tesla fields of rare earth magnets.
A lot of people seem to believe the modern snake oil salesmen-those who pitch the ideas that things like magnets or low-medium frequency EM is bad for you.

 

[Lynx_Arc]

You do realize lights with buck/boost circuits typically have a wire wound coil in there for a transformer that creates a magnetic field don't you? Anytime electricity flows it creates a magnetic field, coils just intensify it more. Alternators and generators work by taking magnets and coils and moving them around taking the magnetic field and using movement to induce electron flow. Every motor you have creates a magnetic field. Your hard drive in your computer creates a magnetic field.
In other words magnets are everywhere already.

 

[tolkaze]

Magnets you can carry around with you don't seem to have any measurable effect. If you truly believed it had a therapeutic benefit, it would - yay placebo effect!

Like those magnetic therapeutic blankets...

 

[tylernt]

Probably not a good idea to carry a cassette tape or magnetic strip cards in the same pocket.

Mythbusters busted this. An electromagnet with an alternating field will demagnetize cards etc, but a static magnet won't.

 

[labrat]

Unless you move the magnet or the card in relation to each other.
Then the moving magnetic field will erase the magnetic information stored on the card's magnetic stripe!
But a fixed, stationary magnetic field will only slowly weaken the magnetic stripe.

 

[MikeAusC]

. . . while MRIs are safer and use non-ionizing radiation, it's still radiation. The dangers are similar to cell phones, which are still debatable.

The Magnetic Field inside an MRI can be up to 60,000 times the strength of the Earths Magnetic Field, yet no health risks have been identified from the Magnetic Field.

There is absolutely no evidence to compare the effect of magnets with the effect of cellphones EMF at 900 Megahertz.

So I won't be worrying about a tiny magnet.

and while MRIs are safer and use non-ionizing radiation, it's still radiation. .

Do you walk around day and night in a light-proof suit and black glasses to eliminate ALL radiation (i.e. light)

 

[Robin24k]

There is absolutely no evidence to compare the effect of magnets with the effect of cellphones EMF at 900 Megahertz.

My point was referring to the fact that while these are both considered "safe", there is definately legitimate concern about potential dangers.

Do you walk around day and night in a light-proof suit and black glasses to eliminate ALL radiation (i.e. light)

Ideally, yes, you should, because UV light is harmful. The key point here is minimizing risk.

 

[Mr Bigglow]

Except that the iron in your blood, what tiny amount there is, is not ferromagnetic.


Any magnet that you can fit in your hand is not going to affect the body. Devices that might affect the body are huge and use alternating fields not a small, weak constant field.

Oh, and while I have the pulpit out...STOP buying magnetic jewelry thinking that it does something! It does NOTHING! The same applies to crystals or any other material that charlatans think sound fancy. They do NOTHING except empty your wallet and perpetuate non-scientific nonsense.

And, darn, I should have quoted myself too, but I originally repeated more or less what the girl on TNG said.... But what I wanted to say here is hey, you can argue with me (not that I don't think you're right) but you CAN'T argue with a cute girl on Star Trek!

 

[tylernt]

but you CAN'T argue with a cute girl on Star Trek!

Well you can argue with her, but then after the plot crisis is resolved you don't get to kiss her in the transporter room as the music comes up and the credits roll.

So it's not recommended.

 

[Bullzeyebill]

This thread seems to have lost its energy and is heading to nonsense. Posters seem to have answered the OP's question. Unless, something significant is brought up, this thread will be closed.

Bill

 

[wyager]

This thread seems to have lost its energy and is heading to nonsense. Posters seem to have answered the OP's question. Unless, something significant is brought up, this thread will be closed.

Bill

This thread has basically been answered... not much more for it lol.

 

[Bullzeyebill]

This thread has basically been answered... not much more for it lol.

You are right.

Bill