Keep kids safe from button batteries this holiday season

With the holiday season approaching, Alberta Health Services (AHS) reminds Albertans about the dangers of button batteries, often found in toys and electronics, and the risk they pose to children if swallowed.

Button batteries are used to power many items such as games, watches, hearing aids, cameras, calculators, flashing shoes and musical cards. Because of their round shape and small size, children can mistake button batteries for food or candy.

In the first 10 months of this year, more than 40 injuries in children related to button and similar small batteries were reported by emergency departments across the province.

A swallowed button battery can cause chemical burns and destroy the tissue in the upper digestive tract and may even cause death. The damage can be rapid and is likely to be worse if the battery gets stuck in the esophagus instead of moving into the stomach. After swallowing a button battery your child might have one or more of these symptoms: wheezing, drooling, coughing, gagging when eating, trouble swallowing, chest pain, belly pain, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite and fever. Injury can still occur without these symptoms.

If you think someone has swallowed a button battery, do not induce vomiting. Take the individual to the nearest emergency department immediately.

To keep children safe this holiday season and beyond:

• Where possible, choose products that do not use button batteries.
• Keep all batteries locked up, out of reach and out of sight of children.
• Supervise children when they use products containing button batteries.
• Ensure children do not play with batteries or are able to remove them. Only buy and use products where the battery is secured, so your child cannot open it; for example, battery covers that are secured by screws.
• Look for loose batteries on floors, tables and counters.
• Store or dispose of batteries safely.
• Cover the ends of batteries with tape even if the batteries are dead. Dead batteries can still cause harm if swallowed.

Alberta Health Services is the provincial health authority responsible for delivering health supports and services for more than four million adults and children living in Alberta. Our mission is to provide a patient-focused, quality health system that is accessible and sustainable for all Albertans. Our current focus is on reducing emergency department wait-times, improving EMS response times, increasing access to surgeries, and improving patient flow.