Button Cell Batteries

Last week (12th June) was Button Battery Awareness Day and this follows on from Child Safety Awareness Week! I saw a few posts around this but not very much on social.

This got me thinking - it maybe old news but people and businesses are still not aware of how fatal button cell batteries can be!

Button Cell Batteries come in various sizes, they are round, silver-coloured batteries that are widely used in electrical items around the house (including toys) and have been for many years. But they are one of the most dangerous things that could be swallowed by a child.

The majority of button cell batteries if swallowed, can pass through the body without causing choking or a problem. However, if a lithium battery is swallowed it can get stuck and block a child's food pipe. This can be catastrophic due to the battery reacting to saliva which creates caustic soda (the same chemical used to unblock drains). This chemical reaction can happen in a short space of time - as little as 2 hours or can take days or even weeks.

The outcome of the reaction can cause internal bleeding, life changing injuries and in some cases death. The caustic soda can burn through the food pipe, to the main artery resulting in internal bleeding causing a child not to be able to eat or sometimes speak normally again.

It is important to know that this is not only fully working batteries that can do this but also flat batteries that are being discarded.

All children are at risk, children between 1 and 4 (crawling to pre-school) are at greatest risk as they like to explore and are inquisitive by putting things in their mouths. Older children can also be fascinated and want to experience the sensation of the electrical charge on their tongue.

The General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) and Reese's Law state that toys containing button cell batteries are to have lockable/ child-resistant battery compartment closures so that these button cell batteries are inaccessible. PAS 7050 outlines the safety requirements for manufacturers and producers of consumer products containing batteries (and it is free)!

Risk assessments of both old and new designs being placed on the market intended for children is not only a mandatory requirement but also a key stage to ensure that items (especially those containing batteries) are deemed safe for use. Reputable retailers will follow this and make necessary design changes to ensure that button cell batteries are not accessible however, cheap toys purchased on the high street and online may not.

The have been a significant number of child fatalities and ten's of thousands have attended A&E worldwide due to swallowing of button cell batteries.

This is the reason it is so important to ensure that items containing button cell batteries, spare button cell batteries and also flat and dead batteries are kept away and out of the reach of children.

If you are a manufacturer or producer of items being designed or are in production of items containing button cell batteries and would like to discuss this further please drop me a message!