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Weekend


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September 19, 2003

Strange But True!

  • A weekly column of incidental information, off-the-wall observations and other random facts about the world.
    • By BILL SONES and RICH SONES, Ph.D.
    Special to the Journal

    Q. How powerful is the magnet in an MRI machine?

    A. At 15,000 Gauss, it's 30,000 times stronger than the Earth's magnetic field, says Joseph P. Hornak, professor of chemistry and imaging science at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Credit cards or bank cards are erased. Metal implants can become dangerous internal knives; pacemakers may be affected. Perilous are any loose nearby oxygen tanks, mop buckets, etc., that may go airborne.


     
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