Neodymium magnets are by far the most powerful magnets in existence.
This enormous strength makes them very useful in various industries.
But, as Spiderman’s uncle said: With great power comes great responsibility!
In this case, you should make sure that you handle and store these magnets with great care.
Let’s explore why exactly why this type of caution is necessary and how to go about it.
The most crucial reason to handle Neodymium magnets with care is human safety.
If you’re not careful, you expose yourself to severe possible injuries.
Given the power of these magnets, if set apart even a few feet, they can slam back together.
And if your hands or fingers get in their way, they can get sandwiched, pinched, and might even break.
Plus, the slamming together of Neodymium magnets is not gentle.
It occurs at great speed.
So even if your hands and fingers aren’t in the way, there is a risk.
Although they’re pretty tough in texture due to nickel-plating, they’re not unbreakable.
Upon contact with such brute force and speed, the magnets can split apart.
And their splinters might shoot towards your eyes, which presents an obvious danger.
Furthermore, take care of others around you also, especially children.
Children often try to put the things they find around them in their mouths.
So, like in the case of plastic toys, there is a choking hazard involved.
And the risk is even greater if a child swallows more than one magnet.
Two or more magnets can connect within the intestine and damage its walls.
In extreme cases, even death may occur.
With their potentially dangerous physical attributes, Neodymium magnets also produce strong magnetic fields.
These represent a separate set of risks.
In medical settings (hospitals, clinics, etc.), their presence can interfere with medical devices.
These devices include pacemakers and implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs).
If Neodymium magnets are nearby, these devices might turn off.
And since the devices are in use in such sensitive scenarios, the health risk is immense.
Also, we mentioned the presence of a nickel coating in these magnets above.
Statistics quoted in this New York Times article show that 10-20% of people are allergic to nickel.
The reactions can be mild to severe, ranging from blistering and dry skin to death.
One last human risk of Neodymium magnets relates to flammability.
Using drills or machines on these magnets can result in a fire breaking out.
Aside from the many dangers to people mentioned, also keep a few other things in mind.
If you bring your smartphones near Neodymium magnets, their fields can mess up your GPS.
And during long-distance delivery, these magnets can interfere with navigational devices.
This effect can be a severe issue in the context of air travel, as we showed in another blog post.
How to Shield Neodymium Magnets
Finally, we must mention that Neodymium magnets aren’t rust-proof.
They can corrode, which can lead to water in contact with them becoming unsafe for drinking.
That’s why precautions are advisable when using these magnets for water treatment.
Things you should know about WRAS Approved magnets.
We’ve shown the high stakes of mishandling Neodymium magnets.
Now let’s see how you can handle them without risk.
Here’s a checklist of the precautions to take while handling Neodymium magnets:
• Be extra careful when separating the magnets. Hold them at the outer edges, slide across and give a quick pull to avoid injury.
• Please keep your hands at a significant distance when holding magnets in each of them.
• Avoid placing them apart without a safe, thick material between them.
• When using, you can place them on a metal surface or table, so they don’t slam together.
• Wear eye safety goggles when handling the magnets.
• Do not drill or use machines on the magnets.
• Keep the magnets out of children’s reach.
• Be extra careful in healthcare settings. Do not carry or place the magnets around devices that their fields can disable.
• Keep the magnets away from your smartphones when using GPS.
• Check if you or anyone else around you in contact with magnets is allergic to nickel. In such a case, altogether avoid handling them or wear protective gloves.
• Follow official safety requirements when transporting the magnets.
• Make sure the magnets don’t come in direct contact with drinking water.
As we mentioned, Neodymium magnets are super powerful.
But there are situations where they can lose their strength.
And since they’re not easy to procure, it is advisable to store them correctly.
Doing so would help you avoid the hassle of having to source them again.
So what can make Neodymium magnets lose their potency?
First of all, storing them at temperatures beyond a certain threshold can weaken them.
Also, if stored in moist environments, they can corrode and become ineffective.
And their powerful magnetic fields also pose storage challenges.
If left in an open environment, they attract ferrous particles in the surrounding air.
This situation can lead to debris accumulation on their surface, damaging them.
For all these reasons, you need to pay special attention to the storage of Neodymium magnets.
Let’s you exactly how to do that next.
When storing Neodymium magnets, refer to the below checklist to prevent issues:
• Store them at a reasonable temperature. Usually, Neodymium magnets maintain effectiveness at or below 80°C or 175°F.
• Use the above temperature only as a basic guideline. The exact threshold depends on the type of magnet and its use.
• Keep the magnets in a low-humidity environment.
• Make sure individual magnets stay at a distance from one another. You can achieve this by placing them in tight, foamed spaces.
• Ensure that the magnets have clean containers.
• Store magnets away from sensitive electronics, especially medical equipment. These also include CDs, televisions, and different types of storage disks.
• Place the magnets where there are no exterior sources of movement or vibration.
• Avoid putting small and large magnets together.
Neodymium magnets have diverse applications and several benefits.
But their use comes with safety and storage challenges.
If not handled well, they can cause severe injuries and even fatalities.
And if their storage is careless, they can lose their strength and become less valuable over time.
In this blog post, we shared everything you need to know about these aspects of Neodymium magnets.
We hope after reading it, you now know precisely how to handle and store Neodymium magnets.
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