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The Subway's Magnetic Fields Are Magnetizing A West Village Hospital
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Aug 4, 2013
Modified Aug 4, 2013
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By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Aug 4, 2013
Modified Aug 4, 2013
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Turns out it's not just commuters who find the MTA is good at making things difficult; apparently, the magnetism emanating from the subway is so strong it'll throw off MRI readings at a new West Village hospital. What ho, science!
The Post reports that North Shore-LIJ, which has taken over some of St. Vincent Hospital's old space on Seventh Avenue for an ER facility, has to install an anti-magnetism system thanks to magnetic fields coming from the 1,2,3,F and PATH lines nearby. Operators are concerned the fields are magnetizing the building's steel columns and messing with MRI scanners. "You have buried power lines that carry very high currents, which generate magnetic fields," Dr. Richard Crepeau, a consultant, told the Post. "Every time [the trains] stop and start, they’re changing their current." The hospital plans to install iron magnetic shielding in the building's walls, which will reportedly add tens of thousands of dollars to the project's $100 million budget.
We've reached out to our own scientific consultant, Bill Nye the Science Guy, for further clarification. Though we're still waiting to hear back on a few letters we sent regarding magnetic fields and Thomas the Tank Engine trains in the mid-'90s, so it might be a while.
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