Doctors swallow Lego to see what it does to a child's body
Six doctors swallowed one small Lego block each to test its effects on the human body.
Parents with small children will take a few trips to the emergency room before their offspring is finished with primary school. Whether it is a grazed knee from a playground scuffle, a broken tooth or a stomach bug, there is no shortage of ailments that take children to the hospital.
But there is one kind of household accident that every parent dreads: the small toy lodged in a nose, an ear or worse, swallowed down into the stomach.
When will it come out? Will the child be hurt? Six doctors went the extra mile to try and put parents at ease.
Led by Dr Andrew Tagg of the University of Melbourne, a team of fearless doctors willing to do anything for science each swallowed one small piece of Lego.
The doctors then took notes on how the toy affected their bodies and how long it took to pass through their system. On average, the toy stayed inside the body for 1,7 days. There was one doctor who was not able to find the Lego head two weeks after the experiment - they suspect it could be stuck in their bowels.
The study, published in the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, shows that while all small toys should be kept away from children, swallowing one of these toys is not necessarily "a huge concern".
They are doctors, so they know best. But please, don't try this experiment at home.