If you sell any products with button batteries in them, safety is your responsibility. In Australia, an estimated 4 children per week present to an emergency department with an injury related to a button battery.
Button batteries present a hazard wherever they have prolonged local contact with the body, whether they are ingested or inserted (eg in an ear or nose). Lithium button batteries contain a hidden danger when ingested as an electrical current is generated when they come into contact with saliva. This causes internal chemical burns and severe bleeding with damage being caused in as little as one to two hours.
Button batteries can be found in a variety of products including children’s toys, remote controls, musical greeting cards, watches, bathroom and kitchen scales, hearing aids and cameras, just to name a few.
Some steps that can be taken to help prevent young children getting access to button batteries are:
- Ensuring appropriate warning labelling accompanies the product;
- Securing battery compartments with a screw or another device that takes two independent movements to open;
- Considering child-resistant packaging for any products that contain button batteries.
Click here for more information on button battery safety.
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