Button batteries pose risk to kids

Swallowing incidents bring warning

Island Health is warning parents about the dangers small button batteries pose to young children.

In 2016, the B.C. Poison Control Centre reported that 45 children under the age of six swallowed the coin-size batteries, said Dr. Murray Fyfe, medical health officer with Island Health.

Button batteries are found in hearing aids, remote controls, musical greeting cards and children’s books. They can be hazardous and cause injury or death to the children who swallow them, Fyfe said.

“Parents need to treat batteries like other dangers — store them out of sight and reach of children,” he said.

The electrical charge in a button battery reacts with the body’s tissues and fluids and can cause an internal burn within two hours.

“When larger button batteries are trying to make their way down through the esophagus, they get caught and they sit there. They have a very high charge, which will burn a hole right through the tissues and perforate right through the esophagus,” Fyfe said.

“The worst outcomes are when it burns right through the tissues of the esophagus and then burns into the large blood vessel, the aorta. You can have a severe hemorrhage, which is very difficult to treat.”

If you suspect that your child has swallowed a button battery, go to the nearest emergency department immediately and call 911.

“It’s not just a foreign object that will pass through the body. It’s much more than that,” Fyfe said. “Don’t wait to see what happens.”

The U.S. has reported thousands of incidents a year where children end up in the emergency department after ingesting button batteries, Fyfe said.

B.C. has also seen an upward trend over the last several years.

“The concern is leading up to Christmas, we know people are going to be buying toys and games and other devices containing these batteries,” he said.

Parents should consider buying items that take AAA batteries if the device is going to be used by a child.

There have been fewer incidents involving older children. Last year, 12 adults swallowed the button batteries as well.

“When you get into the senior population, you start to see an increase again,” Fyfe said. “I think they mix their hearing-aid batteries up with their pills.”

The health authority suggests following these tips to limit your children’s access to button batteries: • Store all batteries out of sight and reach of children, preferably in a locked cabinet or container. • Do not allow children to play with button batteries or remove them from household products. • If a product has batteries, make sure the batteries are locked inside and that the child can’t easily access them. • Discard used batteries quickly and properly.