Author: Valery Zulia
New studies discovered that more kids are ingesting the tiny lithium batteries, popularly known as “button” batteries, that power many of our modern electronics, potentially leading to terrible consequences, including death.
According to the study, a battery-caused emergency call occurs among kids under 18 every 1.25 hours.Â
According to the research, children under the age of five are most in danger, particularly toddlers between the ages of one and two, who typically put anything they find in their mouths.
Why are batteries dangerous?
Lithium batteries have a high current even after being removed from the device they were powering. Saliva can react with the current when the batteries become stuck in the throat, resulting in a chemical reaction. It can lead to esophagus burns and perforation, vocal cord paralysis, erosion of the trachea, or large blood vessels.
Batteries are everywhere
Batteries are everywhere in modern houses, even in areas you may not expect, like singing greeting cards, clip-on reading lights, and animated or flashing ornaments. Calculators, digital thermometers, mini-remotes, and, naturally, automobile key fobs and smartwatches are other typical goods that include lithium batteries.
Battery-related injuries are on the rise.
The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System of the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, which monitors emergency departments visited about 100 hospitals throughout the country and gathered research data.Â
According to the data, many (90%) of these battery-related ER visits involved swallowing the battery, which was followed by placing batteries in the nose (5.7%), ears (2.5%), and mouth without swallowing (1.8%).
Though not as harmful as swallowing, lithium batteries stuck in a nose or an ear can lead to severe and dangerous consequences. The research includes facial nerve paralysis, eardrum or nasal septum perforation, hearing loss, and many more.
What you should do as a parent
- The key is to prevent: Avoid installing or changing batteries in front of young children because they are drawn to shiny objects.Â
- Replace any batteries that have expired and dispose of them securely and promptly.Â
- Keep new batteries away from children.
- When a child is playing with a battery-powered toy, always keep an eye on them.Â
- Warn older kids about the risks so they can help.
How to know when the accident has happened and what to do?
Wheezing, drooling, coughing, vomiting, chest pain, unwillingness to eat, or gagging when trying to drink or eat, are examples of typical behavior when a child has swallowed a battery.Â
However, it may take a few days for some kids’ symptoms to become noticeable.
Don’t let your kid eat or drink until an X-ray indicates that the battery has migrated past the esophagus. Batteries lodged in the esophagus must be removed as soon as possible since serious harm can happen within 2 hours. Additionally, batteries stuck in the nose or ear need to be removed immediately to prevent long-term damage.
Conclusion
Batteries are everywhere, in electronic devices such as phones, tablets, laptops, and other gadgets. These batteries contain chemicals that can cause injury if they come into contact with certain body parts. Thousands of children go to emergency rooms (ER) every year because they swallowed or inhaled batteries. These incidents are increasing, especially among young kids.
