Be aware of button battery dangers during the holidays
The holiday shopping season is in full force. Before you buy those gifts, especially those powered by batteries, consider how your littlest ones will interact with them. (Watch video)
Recently, Safe Kids Worldwide and Energizer teamed up to share life-saving information with parents and caregivers about the potential risks of swallowing coin lithium batteries. These coin-sized button batteries can get stuck in the throats of children. The saliva immediately triggers an electrical current that causes a chemical reaction that can severely burn the esophagus in as little as two hours. In some cases, children have died from their injuries. Once the burning reaction begins, it can continue even after the battery is removed. This can paralyze vocal chords or form an abnormal connection between the esophagus and trachea (wind pipe). Repairing that damage is painful and can require feeding tubes, breathing tubes and multiple surgeries.
Coin-sized button batteries, approximately the size of a nickel, are found in everyday devices such as:
- Mini remote control devices that unlock car doors and control portable DVD players, MP3 speakers and other devices
- Calculators
- Bathroom scales
- Reading lights
- Flameless candles
- Talking and singing books and greeting cards
Because many of these devices are not children’s toys, the battery compartments are easy to open. Small children often have easy access to these devices and enjoy playing with them, and many parents do not know there is a risk. A recent survey by The Battery Controlled, 66 percent of parents indicated they have not read, seen or heard anything about the risks of coin-sized button batteries and 56 percent of parents said their children seem to like electronic devices more than their own toys.
The number of cases where children have been seriously hurt or have died as a result of swallowing a button battery has more than quadrupled in the past five years (2006-2010) compared to the five years prior (2001-2005). In 2010 alone, there were more than 3,500 swallowing cases of all sizes and types of button batteries reported to U.S. poison control centers.
Safe Kids Skagit County asks parents and caregivers to do the following:
- Examine devices and make sure the battery compartment is secure.
- Keep button batteries and devices that use them out of reach if the battery compartments aren’t secure. Some parents have secured devices with strong tape.
- Go to the emergency room immediately if swallowing is suspected.
- Call the National Battery Ingestion Hotline at 202-625-3333 for additional treatment information.
- Tell others about this threat and share these steps.
Videos, tip sheets and more information can be found at the following sites: www.thebatterycontrolled.com, www.facebook.com/thebatterycontrolled and www.twitter.com/batterycontrol.
