Older pacemakers could be adversely impacted if people who had them were anywhere near an average microwave oven in operation - we had those signs up around the office kitchenette less than 15 years ago.
Ah, that makes a lot of sense.
Currently strong magnets can still mess with pacemakers. Fun fact, some modern phones have magnets in them that can do that - be careful about resting your phone on your chest if you have a pacemaker. I think the wireless charging unit is to blame.
That’s a feature btw, not a bug. If you go to the hospital with a pacemaker malfunction or we’re trying to do cardioversion in a way the pacemaker doesn’t do itself the only way we can turn it off is with a big magnet. That’s why most ED and cardiac units have one for an emergency.