This Child Safety Week (3rd to 9th of June 2024), NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is reminding parents and carers of the danger that button batteries pose, particularly if they are swallowed.
Button batteries are used in an increasingly wide range of toys, novelty items, gadgets, and other everyday objects that are found around the house. They are powerful lithium coin cell batteries and can badly hurt or kill a small child if they swallow one and it gets stuck in their gullet.
John Hallet, Paediatric Surgeon at the Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow explained:
“Button batteries can be really appealing to children because they’re silver and shiny and if children get access to them, can cause real damage.
“The problem with these batteries is that after a matter of minutes or hours they can burn through the gullet and cause significant damage. In severe cases, they can also burn into the biggest blood vessel in the body.
“Unfortunately, we’re seeing more and more of these injuries at the Royal Hospital for Children. I think most paediatric surgeons now in the UK have dealt with very serious complications from these batteries,” he said.
Typically, small children:
- find batteries that have dropped out of products with loose backs
- find spare batteries in a drawer or on the floor after a packet is accidentally spilled open
- or get hold of ‘flat’ batteries left on a worktop or table or stored for recycling.
John explained that preventing children from accessing these could be lifesaving.
“The most important thing is prevention so if you have these small batteries in the home you need to keep them away from children, out of reach and locked away.
“We’re very lucky in the UK that most toys have the battery secured away by being screwed in place but there are toys that can be bought from abroad, and for remote controls that we find in devices around the house or in car keys.
“One thing to also be aware of is how you dispose of old batteries as they can still have a bit of charge in them,” he said.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde also recommends The Child Prevention Trust website as a resource for learning where you could find these batteries and what to look out for. Child Safety Week | Child Accident Prevention Trust (capt.org.uk)
If you believe your child may have ingested a battery, John advised:
“If you think that your child has swallowed a battery, you need to go to the nearest emergency department as soon as possible. If your child is showing signs that they have damage or injury caused by a battery such as chocking, vomiting, or regurgitation their own blood or not being able to swallow their own saliva, you need to call 999 immediately,” he said.
Child Safety Week 2024 runs from Monday 3rd to Sunday 9th June. It is the Child Accident Prevention Trust’s annual community education campaign, acting as a catalyst for thousands of safety conversations and activities UK-wide. More resources for parents and carers can be found here. Child Safety Week | Child Accident Prevention Trust (capt.org.uk)