20-pound metal chain his wife said he 'used for weight training'
[FoxNew] A man has died after getting sucked into an MRI machine.
The accident occurred on July 16 at the Nassau Open MRI in Westbury, New York, according to a press release from the Nassau County Police Department in Long Island.
Officers responded to a 911 call at around 4:30 p.m. at the MRI center, which provides diagnostic radiology services.
"Upon arrival, officers were informed that a male, 61, entered an unauthorized Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) room while the scan was in progress," the release stated.
"The male victim was wearing a large metallic chain around his neck, causing him to be drawn into the machine, which resulted in a medical episode."
The man was transported to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries the next day, on July 17.
The investigation is ongoing, according to the police department.
Nassau Open MRI states on its website that anything metallic should be removed prior to an MRI, including hearing aids, partial plates, dentures, jewelry and hair pins.
On a web page detailing the benefits and risks of MRIs, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) notes that "the strong, static magnetic field will attract magnetic objects (from small items such as keys and cell phones, to large, heavy items such as oxygen tanks and floor buffers) and may cause damage to the scanner or injury to the patient or medical professionals if those objects become projectiles."
"Careful screening of people and objects entering the MR environment is critical to ensure nothing enters the magnet area that may become a projectile."
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