An American research estimates that between 2010 and 2019 the number of injured children – and even dead – doubled due to the ingestion of objects.
THE WASHINGTON POST – Button batteries are everywhere: remote controls, key rings, watches, toys. And, increasingly, they enter the bodies of children, causing injury and, in some cases, death. According to an article published in the September issue of Pediatrics, emergency room visits for children who have ingested Batteries between 2010 and 2019 the numbers from 1990 to 2009 more than doubled. Button cells were present in 85% of cases.
When these batteries lodge in the esophagus, they can cause serious damage in less than 2 hours. While lithium cells are of more concern because they’re larger and more likely to end up in babies’ esophagus, button cells can also cause serious harm, especially in babies younger than 1 year old.
Using the data from SConsumer Product Safety Commission National Electronic Injury Surveillance SystemIn the United States, researchers estimated that between 2010 and 2019, there were 70,322 emergency room visits for children related to batteries. The majority of cases occurred among children aged 5 years and younger, with the highest number involving those aged 1 year and older.
The increase in these emergency room visits can likely be attributed to the higher prevalence of button cell batteries in homes, according to Mark Chandler, researcher at Safe Kids Worldwide, who conducted the study in collaboration with Nationwide Children’s Hospital and Global Injury Research. Collaborative, both located in Columbus, Ohio. Chandler noted that parents are often unaware of how many devices in their home are powered by button cells and the risk they pose to children.
The researchers concluded that prevention efforts are failing to reduce emergency room visits and called for “regulatory efforts and the adoption of safer designs to reduce or eliminate swallowing injuries in children.” On August 16, President Joe Biden signed into law Reese’s Law (named after a child who died after ingesting a button cell), the law that will set these regulatory efforts in motion in the United States.
The legislation requires the responsible body to develop safety standards for button cells, with safer packaging, more visible warning labels – on the batteries themselves – and safer compartments in devices, to prevent access by children up to 6 years. The agency has one year to issue the standards.
In the Pediatrics study, 12% of all battery ingestion cases resulted in hospitalization; ingestions specifically involving button cells were twice as likely to result in hospitalization. According to the U.S. National Poisoning Data System, 3,467 button cell battery ingestions were reported in 2019; of these, 207 resulted in moderate effects, 51 more serious effects and 3 death. More than half of the cases involved children aged 6 years or younger.
Varun Vohra, clinical toxicologist and director of the Drug and Poisons Information Center at Wayne State University School of Medicine, said that most cases do not cause serious damage and that button cells can pass through a child’s gastrointestinal system. But when it is lodged in the baby’s esophagus, the consequences can be serious. Wet mucous membranes can trigger an electric current that triggers a chemical reaction, injuring adjacent tissue (the current creates hydroxide, which causes alkaline burns). “This can lead to serious injury, even esophageal perforation, which can cause significant complications.” If the x-ray reveals a battery in the esophagus, it will need to be removed immediately, either by endoscopy or surgery, as serious damage to the esophagus can occur in as little as two hours. But the injury can progress even after the pole has been removed, leading to relatively rare complications such as vocal cord paralysis or tracheoesophageal fistula, an abnormal connection between the windpipe and esophagus.
Reese Law
This is what happened to the child after whom Reese’s Law is named. In October 2020, 18-month-old Reese Hamsmith experienced breathing difficulties initially diagnosed as inflammation of the larynx. After the family realized that a button cell was missing from a broken remote control and that Reese had swallowed it, she had surgery to remove the battery but she developed a difficult-to-treat fistula between her esophagus and the trachea. After weeks of hospitalization and complications, she passed away on December 17, 2020.
Though grateful for the project’s approval, Trista Hamsmith, Reese’s mother, said more needs to be done to protect the children. “We need safer batteries.” Hamsmith, who founded the organization Reese’s Purpose to defend children from dangers like button cells, urges parents to “be very aware of where the batteries are in the house if you choose to have them at home.” She and Chandler shared some safety tips for families.
How to behave
- Scan your home: You can find these types of batteries in surprising places, like some kids’ electric toothbrushes. “They’re designed to go into our babies’ mouths and are powered by button cells,” said Trista Hamsmith.
- Keep all devices powered by button cells and loose batteries out of the reach of children.
- Buy button cell batteries that are packaged to reduce the chance of a child opening the package and ingesting them. For example, says Trista Hamsmith, some battery packs need to be opened. She also noted that Duracell sells button cell batteries with a bitter coating designed to discourage children from ingesting them.
- Examine your coin cell powered devices to make sure the battery compartment is protected as securely as possible. Devices that secure the lid with a screw are considered safer for children, said Mark Chandler.
- Don’t try to make your child vomit. Note symptoms such as wheezing, drooling, vomiting, bleeding, abdominal pain, difficulty swallowing, chest discomfort, coughing, choking or retching, fever, decreased appetite, or refusal to eat.
- Do not give your child anything to eat or drink.
- If a magnet is swallowed along with the battery, it can cause more serious injury. Call 911 or go to the emergency room.
- If it’s been less than 12 hours since the battery was swallowed and your child is over 12 months old, you can give him honey — two teaspoons every 10 minutes for six drinks — on his way to the emergency room. This will coat the battery and prevent hydroxide generation, delaying burns to adjacent tissue. However, it’s not a replacement for removing the battery, as it helps slow it down, but it doesn’t eliminate the risk of damage.
- In the case of a child with a battery lodged in the nose or ear, pay attention to symptoms of pain or removal. Do not give nose or ear drops before a thorough examination by a doctor; these fluids can aggravate the damage to the child’s body./TRANSLATION BY RENATO PRELORENTZOU
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Benjamin Smith is a fashion journalist and author at Gossipify, known for his coverage of the latest fashion trends and industry insights. He writes about clothing, shoes, accessories, and runway shows, providing in-depth analysis and unique perspectives. He’s respected for his ability to spot emerging designers and trends, and for providing practical fashion advice to readers.
