Button Batteries

Button batteries are increasingly common in children’s toys and everyday devices, such as thermometers, scales, and garage door openers. The increasing popularity of button batteries has resulted in an increase in injuries, sometimes fatal, to children who swallow the small batteries. Particularly concerning is a button battery getting stuck in the child’s esophagus. In those cases, the button battery’s electrical current makes contact with the esophagus tissue, resulting in corrosion. Fault often rests with the manufacturer of the toy or device, or the manufacturer of the battery’s packaging.