Button batteries are found in many popular toys and household items, but they are dangerous — even deadly — if swallowed. Keep your kids safe with these tips.
This holiday season, your children may get many cool toys that light up or make sounds powered by button batteries. The small, coin-sized batteries are in many gadgets, electronic devices, toys, watches, key fobs, musical greeting cards and most hearing aids.
Unfortunately, button batteries are dangerous if swallowed. Stacey Pecenka, manager of the Trauma Injury Prevention Program at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, said button battery injury cases tend to spike in January.
“This trend tells us that following the holiday season, children are more likely to swallow button batteries than any other time of the year,” Pecenka said.
Why button batteries are dangerous if swallowed
Each year, Poison Centers across the country report that about 3,500 people swallow button batteries. Half of those cases are for children age 6 and younger.
“These batteries can cause serious health problems and can even lead to death when swallowed by children,” Pecenka said. “According to national data, 44 children have died in since 2002 after swallowing button batteries. Previously, serious injuries and deaths were much rarer.
“They can be found in a variety of toys that light up and or make sounds, in fidget spinners and even some shoes,” Pecenka continued. “We want everyone to be conscientious of how easy it is for children to get access to these batteries.”
The younger the child, the more dangerous the situation because of the inability to communicate, said Dr. Marla Levine of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Monroe Carell.
“We don’t always know that they have ingested something,” Levine said. “If we do know for certain, we can be more vigilant and identify the situation in a timely manner.”
The challenge also comes with the fact that signs of ingestion present in various ways including mild respiratory symptoms, wheezing or possible vomiting, which can be a myriad of medical issues.
What to do if your child swallows a button battery
For button battery ingestion cases, the clock starts ticking the minute the child swallows or places the battery next to a mucosal surface, including the ears and nose. That’s why it is critical for parents and caregivers to immediately seek emergency medical assistance if they believe their child may have swallowed a button battery.
According to Levine and Dr. Bo Lovvorn, a pediatric surgeon with Monroe Carell, the longer a button battery is undetected, the more likely the damage can be severe leading to the potential for a negative outcome.
“One of my biggest concerns is the chemical reaction that a button battery can cause in the esophagus,” Lovvorn said. “This chemical injury can lead rapidly to esophageal wall perforation. There are a lot of blood vessels around there. Injury to the esophagus can be complicated and lethal because it can erode into the arterial system.
“When it can safely make its way below the diaphragm, it typically can pass through in the poop. And the reason for that is because once it gets in the acid of the stomach it neutralizes. When it gets stuck in the esophagus, it creates a lot of angst.”
Lovvorn said button battery ingestion and access is a real concern and hopes that messaging to improve safety ramps up and the community at large places more emphasis on safely storing objects containing button batteries.
Button battery safety tips
Button batteries are a part of life. Companies that make them are doing their part to reduce likelihood of children swallowing the batteries by making them taste bitter or adding a dye that might turn the child’s mouth blue as an indicator that a battery was in their mouth.
Avoid buying products with button batteries, but if you do, our experts offer the following button battery safety tips:
- Keep devices with button batteries out of reach and lock away loose batteries.
- Discard button batteries carefully. Covering button batteries with tape before disposal can decrease injuries.
- If a button battery is ingested, seek emergency medical attention so that the patient can be evaluated by a pediatric surgeon. Do not induce vomiting. For children over the age of 1, give two teaspoons of honey every 10 minutes en route to the hospital. Do not delay transport to give honey. This can reduce esophageal injury. Remember: children under 1 can NEVER have honey.
- For additional resources, call the Tennessee Poison Control center at 800-222-1222.
