Current:Home > Invest6 doctors swallowed Lego heads for science. Here's what came out-LoTradeCoin
6 doctors swallowed Lego heads for science. Here's what came out
View Date:2024-12-23 17:00:37
Editor's note: This episode contains frequent and mildly graphic mentions of poop. It may cause giggles in children, and certain adults.
When Dr. Andy Tagg was a toddler, he swallowed a Lego piece. Actually, two, stuck together.
"I thought, well, just put it in your mouth and try and get your teeth between the little pieces," he says. The next thing he knew, it went down the hatch.
As an emergency physician at Western Health, in Melbourne, Australia, Andy says he meets a lot of anxious parents whose children succumbed to this impulse. The vast majority of kids, like Andy, simply pass the object through their stool within a day or so. Still, Andy wondered whether there was a way to spare parents from needless worry.
Sure, you can reassure parents one-by-one that they probably don't need to come to the emergency room—or, worse yet, dig through their kid's poop—in search of the everyday object.
But Andy and five other pediatricians wondered, is there a way to get this message out ... through science?
A rigorous examination
The six doctors devised an experiment, and published the results.
"Each of them swallowed a Lego head," says science journalist Sabrina Imbler, who wrote about the experiment for The Defector. "They wanted to, basically, see how long it took to swallow and excrete a plastic toy."
Recently, Sabrina sat down with Short Wave Scientist in Residence Regina G. Barber to chart the journey of six lego heads, and what came out on the other side.
The study excluded three criteria:
- A previous gastrointestinal surgery
- The inability to ingest foreign objects
- An "aversion to searching through faecal matter"—the Short Wave team favorite
Researchers then measured the time it took for the gulped Lego heads to be passed. The time interval was given a Found and Retrieved Time (FART) score.
An important exception
Andy Tagg and his collaborators also wanted to raise awareness about a few types of objects that are, in fact, hazardous to kids if swallowed. An important one is "button batteries," the small, round, wafer-shaped batteries often found in electronic toys.
"Button batteries can actually burn through an esophagus in a couple of hours," says Imbler. "So they're very, very dangerous—very different from swallowing a coin or a Lego head."
For more on what to do when someone swallows a foreign object, check out the American Academy of Pediatrics information page.
Learn about Sabrina Imbler's new book, How Far the Light Reaches.
Listen to Short Wave on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.
This episode was produced by Margaret Cirino, edited by Gabriel Spitzer and fact checked by Anil Oza. Valentina Rodriguez was the audio engineer.
veryGood! (2)
Related
- Today's Craig Melvin Replacing Hoda Kotb: Everything to Know About the Beloved Anchor
- The Fight to Change US Building Codes
- The Senate’s Two-Track Approach Reveals Little Bipartisanship, and a Fragile Democratic Consensus on Climate
- Katie Holmes Rocks Edgy Glam Look for Tribeca Film Festival 2023
- Democrat George Whitesides wins election to US House, beating incumbent Mike Garcia
- Kristin Davis Shares Where She Stands on Kim Cattrall Drama Amid Her And Just Like That Return
- Nordstrom Rack 62% Off Handbag Deals: Kate Spade, Béis, Marc Jacobs, Longchamp, and More
- Nordstrom Rack 62% Off Handbag Deals: Kate Spade, Béis, Marc Jacobs, Longchamp, and More
- Kathy Bates likes 'not having breasts' after her cancer battle: 'They were like 10 pounds'
- Cities Pressure TVA to Boost Renewable Energy as Memphis Weighs Breaking Away
Ranking
- See Megan Fox, Machine Gun Kelly, Brian Austin Green and Sharna Burgess' Blended Family Photos
- Taylor Lautner’s Response to Olivia Rodrigo’s New Song “Vampire” Will Make Twihards Howl
- India Is Now Investing More in Solar than Coal, but Will Its Energy Shift Continue?
- Louisiana’s Governor Vetoes Bill That Would Have Imposed Harsh Penalties for Trespassing on Industrial Land
- Deion Sanders doubles down on vow to 99-year-old Colorado superfan
- Binance was once FTX's rival and possible savior. Now it's trying not to be its sequel
- The northern lights could be visible in several states this week. Here's where you might see them.
- Dark chocolate might have health perks, but should you worry about lead in your bar?
Recommendation
-
Roy Haynes, Grammy-winning jazz drummer, dies at 99: Reports
-
Republican attorneys general issue warning letter to Target about Pride merchandise
-
Residents Fight to Keep Composting From Getting Trashed in New York City’s Covid-19 Budget Cuts
-
Cities Pressure TVA to Boost Renewable Energy as Memphis Weighs Breaking Away
-
GM recalling big pickups and SUVs because the rear wheels can lock up, increasing risk of a crash
-
Nick Jonas and Baby Girl Malti Are Lovebugs in New Father-Daughter Portrait
-
Where Tom Schwartz Stands With Tom Sandoval After Incredibly Messed Up Affair With Raquel Leviss
-
Zendaya Sets the Record Straight on Claim She Was Denied Entry to Rome Restaurant