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We went through this about six years ago.  We actually scuttled a  
planned and partially-built exhibit that would have placed reasonably  
strong magnets exactly at chest height... sigh, live and learn.

At any rate, since then our rule of thumb has been to avoid placing  
magnets of any strength in a spot where people could come in range of  
them without realizing it; and to make it plain when magnets are in  
use (either with signs, in one example that has particularly strong  
and somewhat hidden magnets, or by making them clearly visible), on  
the theory that people who have a reason to avoid them will do so if  
they know they're there.

--Allan


On Aug 12, 2009, at 1:37 PM, Bob Raiselis wrote:

> Does anyone indicate the presence of magnets on their exhibit floor  
> to visitors? We had a question about magnets from a visitor the  
> other day (whose child has a pacemaker) and wondered if anyone else  
> put up signs or had a sign at the front desk about magnets. Not MRI  
> strength, but evidently even refrigerator magnets can cause some  
> problems if they are close enough. We have a few exhibits with small  
> tethered magnets.
>
> thanks
>
> Bob Raiselis
> Montshire Museum of Science
> Norwich VT

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Allan Ayres
Exhibit Developer
Lawrence Hall of Science
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-5200
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