As any parent knows, pills have the potential to be very hazardous to the health of their children, which is why all parents do their best to keep pill bottles away from them. However, pills are not the only small and dangerous things that children may swallow. Another item to add to the list of products to put out of reach is small batteries.
These small batteries are often referred to as ???button batteries??? because of their size and shape; these batteries are often used in toys and household products including remote controls, games, and lighted shoes. The obvious danger is that children who swallow the batteries are at risk, as the battery can be a choking hazard. What may not be as well known is that, in as little as a few hours, the swallowed battery may lodge in the tissues in the throat and evoke a chemical process which will cause tissue burns.
The problem is that the battery, when surrounded by moist tissue, can create an electrical current. This current can combine with body fluids around the site where the battery is lodged, and can produce caustic chemicals that have been likened to lye (a corrosive substance often used in cleaning products).
The burning that can result from a swallowed battery can be fatal. In fact, in November 2009, a 13-month-old boy was brought to a doctor after he began spitting up. While doctors suspected a stomach problem, an x-ray revealed a battery lodged in the boy???s throat. Though the battery was removed, the battery chemically burned through the tissue in his esophagus and then reached his heart. Unfortunately, the damage was done and the boy died a few days later after his aorta, the largest artery in the body, burst.
So, remember to keep pills and batteries away from little hands.