Button batteries burn. The damage is noticeable within just 30 minutes and if the child does not receive immediate medical help, they may die. Often, the first anyone knows that a child swallowed a button battery is when they start vomiting blood. Sadly, this is usually too late.
The dangers of button batteries:
We all remember having fun with science experiments as children. For example, watching a bottle of cola explode when a mento mint is dropped into it – and seeing the enamel on a tooth disappear before our eyes when left in fizzy pop overnight. However, a far more important experiment that we should all be doing with our kids, is one where we leave a small, round ‘button’ battery on a slice of ham for a few hours. This represents what would happen to a person’s insides if they were to swallow one. The process is staggering to watch. It outlines just how vital it is to keep these batteries out of the reach of babies, toddlers and small children.
Button batteries and lithium coin batteries are the small, round, batteries you find in toys, cards, watches, key fobs, calculators, hearing aids and numerous other everyday objects. They look to be totally harmless and you would think that if a child would swallow them, they would pass straight through and out the other end. Whist sometimes the battery can come out the other end, with no problem, sadly it is usually not the case.
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What would happen if one was swallowed?:
With ever more electronic gadgets around the home needing batteries, hospitals are reporting an increase in life-changing injuries resulting from these innocent-looking culprits. Indeed, you can find these batteries in toys, key fobs and even greetings cards. If a child swallows the battery and it gets stuck at any point in its journey; then it continues to emit its charge (even if it was already considered to be ‘dead’ when swallowed). This creates corrosive caustic soda which burns through the tissue and causes horrendous damage and internal bleeding.
Lithium batteries:
Lithium coin batteries are particularly dangerous. This is because they have a higher voltage and so release more energy and are more corrosive. Fatal damage can therefore occur in just a couple of hours. In most cases, parents have no idea their child has swallowed a battery until they start vomiting blood, by which time it is often too late to help as irreparable damage has already occurred.
An experiment to illustrate the dangers:
We set up an experiment to show what a button battery would do to a slice of ham in just 90 minutes. To mimic a battery being swallowed, saliva was added to the battery and it was enclosed in cling film to be enclosed, as in the body – and the results were shocking.
Significant damage had occurred within just a couple of hours.
How to protect your children
Prevention and vigilance are key:- Always check that battery compartments on electronic gadgets are securely fastened (usually with a screw).
- If a battery is missing and you think it likely your child may have swallowed it, take your child to A&E for an x-ray to be sure.
- Ensure to keep gadgets safely out of the reach of children if a battery compartment isn’t secured with a screw. Avoid buying products that do not conform to EU safety standards.
- Store spare batteries carefully; somewhere inaccessible to children, ideally in a high-up, lockable cupboard. Button batteries are potentially as dangerous as medicines and your cleaning products and should be treated as such.
- Inform your whole family about the dangers of button batteries.
- Recycle used batteries safely, as these too are dangerous
If you think your child may have swallowed a button battery, act fast:
- Take them to your nearest A&E as quickly as possible
- Tell the triage nurse that you think they have swallowed a battery. Take the gadget with you so the staff can identify the type of battery that worries you
- Do not wait for any signs or symptoms
- Do not try to make them sick
- Make sure you do not give them anything to eat or drink. They may need an anaesthetic in order to be operated on
Your child will be x-rayed to establish whether the battery is there or not and if so, where it is lodged. If necessary, they will be taken for an operation to remove the battery as a matter of urgency.
Please do follow this advice on how to prevent accidents happening in the first place. Also spread the word on how to keep children safe around button batteries.
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Each year, more than 3,500 swallowing cases of all sizes and types of button batteries are reported to U.S. poison control centers.
The number of cases where children have been seriously hurt or have died quadrupled in five years (2006-2010) compared to the five years prior (2001-2005).
When a coin lithium button battery gets stuck in a child’s throat, the saliva triggers an electrical current. This causes a chemical reaction that can severely burn the esophagus in as little as two hours.
Symptoms of coin-sized button battery ingestion may be similar to other childhood illnesses, such as coughing, drooling, and discomfort.
Once burning begins, damage can continue even after the battery is removed.
Prevention
Kids under 4 are at the greatest risk. Many coin-sized button batteries can appear “invisible” to parents because devices come with the batteries already installed.
Keep your children safe:
- Look in your home for any items that may contain coin-sized button batteries.
- Place devices out of sight and out of reach of small children.
- Keep loose or spare batteries locked away.
- Share this life-saving information with caregivers, friends, family members and sitters.
Treatment
Keeping these batteries locked away and secured in devices is key, but if a coin-sized button battery is swallowed, you should follow these steps:
- Go to the emergency room immediately. Tell doctors and nurses that it might be a coin-sized button battery.
- If possible, provide the medical team with the identification number found on the battery’s package.
- Do not let the child eat or drink until an X-ray can determine if a battery is present.
- Do not induce vomiting.
Do you have a remote for your car? Remote controls in your home? Hearing aids? Watches?
Your child is in very real danger if you do not guard these items safely, since many contain button batteries. If swallowed, stuck in an ear or a nose, your child only has a couple of hours before permanent, even deadly, damage is done. Button batteries can be found in small remotes, car key fobs, mini remotes that control MP3 speakers, calculators, bathroom scales, reading lights, flameless candles, talking and singing books, singing greeting cards, watches, thermometers, hearing aids, flashing jewelry, ornaments, games and toys.
If a coin lithium button battery gets stuck in a child’s throat, the saliva triggers an electrical current. This causes a chemical reaction that can severely burn the esophagus in as little as two hours. Damage can continue even after the battery is removed. Repairing the damage is painful and can require a feeding tube, breathing tubes and multiple surgeries. Spotting the problem is difficult. Children can usually breathe with the battery in their throat.
Take a few minutes to place a piece of duct tape over the battery cover to prevent small children from accessing the battery. Make sure that your purse and the bags of visitors are stored securely away from a child's reach.
Carefully review your home as well as the homes of any caregivers for possible dangers from devices with button batteries. Ensure that the devices are kept out of sight and reach of children. Share this life-saving information with caregivers, friends, family members, and sitters. It could save a life.
If you suspect your child has ingested a battery, go to the emergency room immediately and quickly make them aware of your situation. Don’t induce vomiting or have your child eat or drink anything until assessed by a medical professional.
Enter the National Poison Center Hotline (1-800-222-1222) into your phone right now. Call anytime for advice and treatment information.