How do I dispose of these potentially dangerous magnets?

February 8, 2018 10:32 AM

I'm in possession of a set of "Buckyballs" magnets. I don't remember when I got them - I think someone gave them to me for Christmas. The coating is coming off them, so I looked it up, and they've been banned in several jurisdictions for being very dangerous when ingested. How do I get rid of these responsibly?

I'm in the UK. Ordinarily I'd give them to a charity shop, but with the danger to kids I don't think that's sensible. I think they're neodymium - would anyone want them for salvage? Is it safe to just toss them in the bin? Does anyone have experience of getting rid of something like this?

posted by spielzebub to Technology (11 answers total)

Best answer: Send them to meeeeeeeeeeeeee! I promise I'll just use them as fridge magnets and not swallow them. I have no children and the cat is not the kind of idiot who would eat a magnet.
posted by Don Pepino at 10:41 AM on February 8, 2018 [14 favorites]

They're not hazmat in the usual sense, so there'd be no problem just throwing them in the bin as long as children or pets don't have access to your trash. Otherwise, they should be safe enough around responsible adults who are informed of the ingestion hazard. Though probably not as much fun with the coating coming off, since the feel of them won't be smooth.

Note that these don't usually work all that well on refrigerators, since they roll down the sides, or at least that's what I remember happening the last time I had some of these.
posted by asperity at 10:43 AM on February 8, 2018 [6 favorites]

I agree that you shouldn't give them to a charity shop, in case someone doesn't realize how strong they are and leaves them within reach of children or dogs, but I think it would be reasonable to give them to an adult who is aware of the risks. How about giving them to a local high school physics teacher, for demonstrations?

I'm keeping mine forever, out of reach of any visiting children who are young enough to swallow them. They're perfectly harmless unless swallowed.
posted by artistic verisimilitude at 10:51 AM on February 8, 2018 [2 favorites]

Best answer: If you want to be sure they will never harm anything, you could "pot" them in epoxy. (Put buckyballs in a disposable cup, pour mixed epoxy glue over them and let it harden.) You could then put it in the garbage with no concern that animals could ingest them at the dump/landfill.
posted by Larry David Syndrome at 11:26 AM on February 8, 2018 [14 favorites]

I like Larry David Syndrome's idea of potting them. Makes them totally safe for disposal if you're worried.
posted by Making You Bored For Science at 11:43 AM on February 8, 2018 [1 favorite]

if you're going to the trouble of potting them, then you can just make them into a set of useful magnets instead of just throwing them away.
posted by ArgentCorvid at 11:45 AM on February 8, 2018 [6 favorites]

Best answer: Depending on how hot you can make your oven: standard neodymium magnets start to lose magnetism at 80C, and will totally demagnetize at 310C. If you can get up near there, it will weaken them.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 12:36 PM on February 8, 2018 [1 favorite]

You could adapt Larry David Syndrome's idea and make a mold that you put a few into along with some epoxy to make refrigerator magnets.
posted by rhizome at 12:37 PM on February 8, 2018 [1 favorite]

Just repeating what has been said, the reason they should not be swallowed is that they can clump and pinch parts of your digestive tract. The coating itself is not toxic, as far as I know.
posted by carter at 12:40 PM on February 8, 2018 [1 favorite]

The coating is probably nickel, maybe with copper and another nickel layer below. If it wears off, the magnet material underneath will rust and demagnetize fairly quickly.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 1:47 PM on February 8, 2018

I want them!!! Pick me!!! (backup to Don Pepino)
posted by arnicae at 4:20 PM on February 9, 2018