Study: More Children Eating ‘Button’ Batteries with Potentially Fatal Outcomes

A study found more children have been ingesting lithium batteries, also known as “button” batteries, which could have dire consequences.

CNN reported Monday:

Despite public information campaigns warning parents about the dangers, visits to emergency rooms as a result of battery poisonings were twice as high from 2010 to 2019 compared with 1990 to 2009, according to the study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics.

That’s an average of one battery-related emergency visit every 1.25 hours among children under 18, the report found. Children under 5 were at highest risk, the report noted, especially toddlers between the ages of 1 and 2, who often put things they find into their mouths.

After being removed from a device, the batteries retain a strong current. If one becomes lodged in a child’s throat, saliva could interact with the current and burn the esophagus.

The recent study’s conclusion said, “Ultimately, hazard reduction or elimination through safer button battery design is critical and should be adopted by the battery industry.”

An increasing number of little children are eating small lithium batteries, also known as "button" batteries, that power many of our consumer devices, with potentially serious consequences, even death, a new report found. https://t.co/bMxKPb5L1R

— CNN (@CNN) August 29, 2022

A Texas mother’s toddler, Reese, died after swallowing a button battery that eroded inside her body, Fox 29 reported in March 2021.

Trista Hamsmith said a CT scan eventually found the child was suffering from a hole in her esophagus and trachea.

“The autopsy report came back of complications from a button battery ingestion,” Hamsmith told the outlet.

The small batteries could also cause injury when lodged in a person’s nose or ears, according to the National Capital Poison Center.

“Young children and elderly people have been particularly involved in this kind of incident. Symptoms to watch for are pain and/or a discharge from the nose or ears. DO NOT use nose or ear drops until the person has been examined by a physician, as these fluids can cause additional injury if a battery is involved,” the website read.

Per the CNN report, adults were advised to keep an eye on children playing with a toy or object that held a tiny battery and talk with older children about the risks so they knew what to do in case of an emergency.

If a parent or guardian suspected a child had swallowed a battery or placed it in their nose or ear, they were urged to call the National Battery Ingestion Hotline at 800-498-8666.

Earlier this month, President Joe Biden (D) signed into law a bill addressing the issue, News 4 Jax reported August 17.

“H.R. 5313 requires the Consumer Product Safety Commission to create safety standards for button batteries to make sure they’re safe for children in their original packaging and when they are in household devices, like remotes, key fobs and toys,” the outlet said.