Toddlers and batteries, a parent's perspective

Anyone who has young children is aware of the problems that ingesting small items can cause to a toddler. It's been the bane of toy manufacturers since toy making began. But with two small children of my own in the house, the issue of batteries, especially the small flat silver ones, that must look particularly appealing to a youngster, is not one I'd ever given too much consideration. Many parents have probably overlooked this potential hazard. A child can so easily pick up a small electronic device, that exist in the home in increasing numbers, prize open the battery compartment, that are rarely childproof, and ingest the shiny treat that falls out. The button batteries can cause serious health issues if swallowed. Batteries contain a range of toxic chemicals and heavy metals, but aside from the chemical issue, the purely mechanical part of having a small round object lodged in the throat, ear, or nose is the exact problem parents around the world try to safeguard against. To put the issue in perspective, we only have to look as far as the June issue of Pediatrics which contains an article "Pediatric Battery-Related Emergency Department Visits in the United States, 1990-2009." During the two decades studied, there were around 66,000 emergency department visits by children under the age of 18 that were listed as being caused by or associated with accidents due to batteries.Although some did include issues with the nose or ear, most were swallowed, and mainly by children under 5. The silver button batteries accounted for 84 percent of the ingested batteries, and over the course of the study period, the number of incidents doubled during the two decades. The batteries are obviously more commonly used today than they were in 1990, which explains much of the increase. For example, banks give a security dongle that generates random numbers and provide extra safety for logging in to accounts on the internet. I have three of these sitting on my desk for various accounts, and all have an easily opened compartment. They are also nicely colored bright blue, or red with the bank's logo; their small size makes them particularly appealing to a child. A child that ingests a battery, that lodges in the esophagus can suffer severe injuries, and even die within a matter of hours. The authors of the study are recommending that parents and child-caregivers around the world increase their efforts to safeguard against this issue. Battery compartments can be taped or secured with a dab of glue, while electronic items that contain button batteries should be kept well out of reach. In time, perhaps new standards for electronic items will be introduced, much as medicines and vitamins universally contain a child-proof lid that is well researched and virtually impossible for a youngster to remove.