Small, bright, with toxic substances, hidden but present. Features that make Button batteries or lithium batteries a danger to children and that they should put us on notice so as not to have any carelessness and that these reach their reach.
Button batteries are used in many portable electronic devices, such as some watches, calculators, headphones, analog or digital cameras, remote controls, electronic agendas, greeting cards, portable audio players, flashlights, laser pointers ... and also in some toys As we see, they are everyday objects that pose a risk to the little ones.
Specifically, button cells are very dangerous and can leave serious consequences in children due to their tendency to explore everything with their mouths and the risk of ingestion. They are also a danger if they are lodged in the child's nose or ear.
These batteries contain chemicals that can cause serious problems in the child's digestive system If you swallow them. And they are not isolated cases, since every year in the United States, more than 3,500 people, many of them children, swallow button batteries, according to data from the National Battery Ingestion Hotline Update.
The most affected are children under six, in case they tend to put all kinds of objects in their mouths and not be aware of the risk. Swallowing a button cell can cause the child's suffocation or serious burns and injuries to the digestive system due to the harmful chemicals it contains.
Symptoms to watch
Accidental ingestion of a battery can occur quickly and be difficult to detect. In addition, there are often no symptoms until a serious injury has occurred, so we must try at all times that the objects that carry these batteries are not within the reach of children.
If we suspect that our child has swallowed a battery (or more), we should immediately call Emergency, take it to the ER and not try to get it out of us, or have the child vomit, or eat or drink anything ... Some alarm signs are:
- Pain in the chest, throat or belly
- Cough, shortness of breath
- Suffocation
- Bloody or abnormally colored stools
- Drooling
- Diarrhea
- Rejection of food or drink
- Irritability
- Nose pain and difficulty breathing or earache occurs if you stay in these parts of the body. Do not use swabs or serums, or try to remove the battery.
Precautions with button batteries
It agrees dispose of used batteries properly, without accumulating them at home in a place within the reach of children or having them scattered in various places. It is best to take them to the recycling point as soon as possible.
It is necessary to check which toys have lithium batteries and watch that they are very safe, without defects, checking them periodically.
Also check other items that include button batteries. Do you need a screwdriver to remove them? Are the compartments tightly closed? Is the closure in good condition?
Given the risk, do not leave other devices and objects that include button batteries within the reach of children, they are not a game and much less without supervision.
It acts quickly in case of suspicion that the child has swallowed a battery or has been lodged in the nose or inserted in the ear, since the longer it takes, the risk of serious injury increases and even in extreme cases it can produce death
Remember that the key to accident prevention is not to lower your guard and keep dangerous objects away from children. The button batteries are one of those objects, so you have to be clear where they are and we hope that with these tips there is no scare.
