Oklahoma Poison Center Warns of Holiday Hazards: Button Batteries a Potential Medical Emergency if Swallowed

OKLAHOMA CITY – With new electronics and toys around the house during the Christmas season, parents and caregivers are reminded that the small, round “button” batteries used to power many devices can be quite dangerous if swallowed. Toddlers and young children are particularly susceptible to injury from these batteries because of their narrow throats and inability to tell parents what has happened. 

The coin-shaped button batteries – used to power decorations, hearing aids, watches, toys, games, flashing jewelry, musical greeting cards, remote control devices and many other items most parents and caregivers don’t think of as dangerous – are metallic and shiny, and very attractive to young children. A child swallowing a button battery presents an especially dangerous situation that requires immediate attention. While most swallowed button batteries will pass through the gut and be eliminated in the stool, occasionally a swallowed button battery can get stuck in the throat, especially in a child’s narrow throat.

“When a button battery lodges in a child’s throat, it causes an electrical current to go through the tissue,” said Kristie Edelen, managing director for the Oklahoma Poison Center. “The electrical current causes damage because it forms hydroxide, which is an ingredient in lye. When this happens, the battery can cause severe tissue damage, even death. Button batteries also may cause injury when they are placed in the nose or the ears as well.”

Keep items containing button batteries that are not secured by screws like remote controls out of reach of children. If anyone ingests a foreign body, especially a button battery, call the Oklahoma Poison Center at (800) 222-1222 immediately.  In the case of button battery ingestion, take the person to the closest emergency department and obtain an X-ray to ensure the battery is not lodged in the throat, which is an especially dangerous situation that requires immediate attention.

“Most people think that if a person isn’t coughing and choking, there can’t be something caught in the throat. That isn’t necessarily the case, particularly with small objects like button batteries,” says Edelen. “The only way to make sure the battery has passed into the stomach and therefore less likely to cause injury is to get an X-ray.” 

Edelen reports that in 2022, there were 27 cases of button battery ingestion reported to the Oklahoma Poison Center in children agesup to 5 years of age. This year there have been 18 cases of button battery ingestions so far in this same age group.

Tips for Protecting Young Children:

• Never leave batteries sitting out. Store batteries out of sight and reach of young children. 
• Check all household devices to be certain the battery compartment is secured shut. Use strong tape to secure compartments that children can open or that might pop open if the device is dropped. 
• Only purchase products that require a screwdriver or tool to open the battery compartment, or that are closed with a child-resistant locking mechanism. 
• Batteries are everywhere! Be sure to check remote controls, tea lights and flameless candles, garage door openers, keyless entry fobs, bathroom scales, parking transponders, toys, cameras, watches, calculators, digital thermometers, hearing aids, singing greeting cards, talking books, portable stereos, handheld video games, cell phones, home medical equipment/meters, flash lights, pen lights, flashing shoes, toothbrushes, keychains, flashing or lighted jewelry or attire, and basically any other household item that is powered. 
• Be especially cautious with any products that contain a battery that is as big as a penny or larger. The 20 mm diameter button battery is one of the most serious problems when swallowed. 
• Don’t allow children to play with batteries or with battery-powered products that have easily accessible batteries. 
• Don’t insert or change batteries in front of small children.

Call the Oklahoma Poison Center with any questions or concerns regarding potential hazards that arise during the holidays, and do not forget to save the poison center’s phone number, (800) 222-1222, in your phone.

Pharmacists and registered nurses at the poison center are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Please do not email the poison center or a member of the poison center staff, as poisoning emergencies are not handled through email. The Oklahoma Poison Center is a program of the University of Oklahoma College of Pharmacy at OU Health Sciences. For more information, visit OklahomaPoison.org.