Lithium Button Battery Warning - Child hazard

From Australia and Kids Safe in Queensland, I've not heard of this hazard before.

SUMMER Steer was her family's "little pocket rocket".

The four-year-old from the Sunshine Coast died tragically on Sunday after swallowing a lithium battery - the compact type found in countless household items.

Friends say they have no idea when Summer would have swallowed the battery, and it is not known where it came from.

But as it reacted chemically inside her body, little Summer became uncharacteristically ill.

It wasn't until scans picked up the presence of the battery that the cause of her sickness became apparent.

The button-shaped batteries are found in many common household items.

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/...-lithium-battery/story-fnihsrf2-1226673402543

Snips from Kids Safe

Office of Fair Trading manager of product safety unit Dave Strachan said the threat of battery-related injuries was one of the "most serious hazards" Queensland and Australia faced.

It is compulsory for toys designed for children to have the battery compartment screwed shut but batteries in everyday objects, such as a remote control, car keys, bathroom scales or battery-powered birthday cards, are more easily accessed.

If a lithium battery is ingested and becomes lodged in the body, it becomes "activated" by sweat or salvia and can burn through skin or organs within an hour, even if the battery is spent. It can then fuse into the body, making it extremely difficult to remove.

Holes created by the battery can often be difficult to treat completely.

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/...-to-battery-risk/story-fnihsrf2-1226673358021

Monsters Inside Me had an episode about this about a year ago. I immediately called my daughter who was letting her 2 year old hold the TV remote a lot. Needless to say, he doesn't play with it anymore. Apparently the battery has a chemical reaction as it progresses thru the body and just eats away at the esophagus, stomach, etc. I recall that the little one on Monsters Inside Me, had had 25+ surgeries to repair damage. So hard to believe that something so small could cause such damage.

Are those the little round siver batteries? I found one of those in my gs's room the other day and not sure where it came from. The cheap window alarms have those too. I have had them in a bunch of windows in the past . Scary.

txsvicki said:

Are those the little round siver batteries? I found one of those in my gs's room the other day and not sure where it came from. The cheap window alarms have those too. I have had them in a bunch of windows in the past . Scary.

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Sounds like it yes, here's a pic with an item list. What surprised me some was those musical greeting cards have one.



Button batteries are found in common devices:

- bathroom scales

- hearing aids

- reading lights

- flameless candles

- games and toys

- watches

- calculators

- torches and laser lights

- remote control devices that unlock car doors and control MP3 speakers

- musical greeting cards