It's Baby Safety Month, and I wanted to share some information with you about keeping your little ones safe. Coin Sized batteries are often overlooked but cause a serious help risk to our little ones. We can all help create awareness by spreading the word about The Battery Controlled. The Battery Controlled is an effort from Energizer and Safe Kids Worldwide to alert parents and other caregivers to the hidden danger of coin-sized button battery ingestion.
Every year, approximately 3,500 incidents of button batteries being swallowed are reported to poison control centers in the U.S. In 2012, 17 severe injuries and even two deaths were reported. Little ones just love to put things in their mouths to test out if they can eat them. 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.
Prevention and Treatment
- Remember the 4 S’s of battery safety:
- STORE devices that use coin lithium batteries out of reach of children
- SELECT battery packaging that complies with the child-resistant packaging standards and recommendations made by the staff at the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, such as Energizer coin lithium battery packaging
- SECURE the battery compartments of devices and look for devices that contain a child safety feature for their battery doors, such as a screw or child-resistant mechanism.
- SHARE this information with your friends and family. A recent survey revealed that 62 percent of parents are not aware of the dangers of coin lithium battery ingestions; Energizer and the National Safety Council hope to change that.
If you believe your child has swallowed a coin-size button battery:
- 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.
Take a moment to read and watch Emmett’s Story: At a year old, Emmett Rauch swallowed a button battery. His mother, Karla, shares her family’s experience dealing with this Emmett’s life-altering injuries. It's heart breaking and scary, because it can happen in an instant. You don't even realize the amount of object in your home that contain these small batteries.
Visit www.TheBatteryControlled.com or www.energizer.com/coinbatterysafety for more information, facts and tips.