Button cell battery injuries among children increased by 93% in the first 7 months of the pandemic

While emergency room visits for product-related injuries have seen an overall decline in the first seven months of the pandemic, those involving children and batteries have seen an increase of 93%. A Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) report released in January reported the peak in children ages 5 to 9 and said that while most injuries involved ingestion, some included foreign object issues, such as when a battery was inserted into an ear or nose.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), which has a button cell working group, estimates that more than 2,500 button cell battery injuries occur in children each year. Batteries are found in remote controls, flameless candles, bathroom scales, and other household appliances like light-up sneakers, watches, and calculators.

They can cause severe tissue burns in as little as two hours and lead to lifelong injury. If a child is suspected of having swallowed a button battery or placed one in their nose or ear, immediate emergency care is recommended. The AAP also recommends calling the National Battery Ingestion Hotline for assistance at 1-800-498-8666.

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Signs that might indicate that a child has ingested a battery may include wheezing, drooling, stomach or chest pain, coughing, gagging, or choking.

In addition to the large spike seen in the first months of the pandemic, the AAP reports that the number of seriously injured or deceased children more than quadrupled in the five years between 2006 and 2010 compared to the previous five years.

“The most serious injuries are usually associated with batteries 20mm in diameter, the size of a nickel, because they are likely to lodge in the esophagus of a small child,” the AAP warned. “If a lithium coin cell battery gets lodged in the esophagus, it can cause tissue damage and necrosis within hours, resulting in puncture or death if not removed urgently.”

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The CPSC also saw a sharp increase in cleaning agent-related injuries, which it said “is likely due to consumers staying at home and doing more housework, injuries increased.”

“These include injuries from packets of liquid detergent, which continue to pose a serious danger to small children if swallowed and – increasingly – to the elderly, who suffer from eye damage.” , said the CPSC.