Many Kids Swallowing Tiny Batteries

As batteries become smaller and smaller, their use in kids toys is posing a serious health risk with thousands of children being treated for swallowing them, sometimes leading to fatal consequences.

According to figures released by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, more than 40,000 children under 13 years of age have been treated in emergency departments between 1997 and 2010 across the United States for swallowing the tiny batteries.

In the report, published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the researchers wrote that the number of cases every year has increased from 1,900 in 1998 to more than 4,800 in 2010 along with deaths caused by choking, up from 1 in 1998 to 13 during the period from 2002 to 2008.

"Parents and caregivers should be aware of the potential hazards associated with battery exposure, particularly ingestion of button batteries, and ensure that products containing them are either kept away from children or that the batteries are secured safely in the product", the researchers wrote in their report.


Source: Medindia