Posts Tagged ‘ Lithium Batteries ’

Button Batteries: Convenient for you – and Baby, too

May 28th, 2010. By Hunter West

One can’t imagine the horror of discovering that your child has swallowed a battery. But it happens—and it’s occurring with increasing frequency, according to a study published this week in the medical journal Pediatrics.

It’s bad enough when a child swallows anything not meant to enter the mouth and the life-threatening choking hazard that can ensue. But just as dangerous—if more so—is the potential for an ingested battery to do permanent damage resulting from the electric charge still inherent with the ingested battery.

As reported earlier this week by CNN, there has been a 6.7 fold increase in the percentage of severe outcomes from battery ingestion over the last 24 years. What’s more, the severity of those outcomes, or injuries, has worsened. Reports have included damage to, and destruction of the esophagus, perforation of the aorta and vocal cord paralysis.

A common culprit, as described in the study, is the 20mm lithium battery.

You know these batteries. They’re the ones that look like a dime, or a penny. It’s the same concept as the small, button batteries that power your watch. And you can see the need for using these compact batteries, given the ever-shrinking size of electronics. Everything is getting smaller, including remotes for electronic devices. Remotes are everywhere, and most households have a collection of them lying around, in plain view and available for a toddler to locate, pick up and jam in his mouth.

That’s what children do. Everything goes in their mouths. And it always happens just when your back is turned for a split second. Call it Parental Murphy’s Law.

While I don’t dispute the need for smaller batteries (some products are so small and thin, even the small, ‘AAA’ batteries are way too big), where is the caution on the part of electronics manufacturers to baby-proof their devices?

I have four children. The oldest is 35 and the youngest is 14—so I’ve been through a lot of parenting and a basketful of toys, some of which were battery-powered. Most of the toys designed for children Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Batteries, Button Batteries, Lithium Batteries
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Button Batteries Bad for Babies and Kids in General

December 14th, 2009. By LucyC

Just a heads-up as Christmas is around the corner…a warning was issued today about those ubiquitous button batteries—you know—the little round guys that power everything from alarm clocks to greeting cards to cameras.

Dr. Sam Daniel who works out of the Montreal Children’s Hospital, in Quebec, Canada, told the media that if kids ingest these batteries, it’s serious. “Button batteries in the wrong place can be potentially fatal or can cause long term damage. If you child ingests a button battery, it is a medical emergency your child needs to be seen immediately, ” he told United Press International (UPI) in an earlier interview.

I don’t know about you, but I can barely hold on to one of these little batteries long enough to get it into my camera, so the battery drops to the floor—then the phone rings—and half an hour later I’ve completely forgotten about the battery, which is now lying in wait for a small, curious pair of hands to grasp and see where it fits—the mouth maybe?

According to Dr. Daniel, these batteries can, not surprisingly, cause serious health problems if they’re swallowed.

“At The Montreal Children’s Hospital we treat approximately 12 children a year who have ingested button batteries and we tend to see a spike in the numbers around the holiday season. The average age is between 1 and 2,” Dr. Daniel told UPI. “It doesn’t take long for the battery to start corroding in as little as three hours, significant damage can occur.”  Yikes!

So, if your little one has chowed down on a button battery, a trip to emergency is likely a very good idea. (How is it that they won’t eat their vegetables but they will eat your batteries?) The long-term complications can include tracheostomy—tube or gastrostomy—tube dependence, vocal paralysis, hearing loss or nose deformity.

I’m also going to keep an eye on my dog…

Tags: Lithium Batteries
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