Many of us assume that if we purchase an electric toy from an internet store we trust, or a high street shop, then the product has been safely tested. This may be the case, but what about the battery? While it is true that leading battery makers have tightened their standards, we still need to be mindful of battery toy safety at all times, and not just over Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Battery Toy Safety and Child Health
The Government of Canada maintains a warning we link to below, about items of danger to human health and safety. This includes a note concerning button and coin batteries and their packaging.
Button and coin batteries use a variety of chemistries, including lithium, alkaline, silver oxide or zinc-air. We find these batteries in consumer products such as watches, key fobs, remote controls, and toys too.
Curious children play with batteries they remove from these devices, or find lying around loose where they play. Even if their parents think these batteries have run down, they still contain a residual electrical charge.
Therefore, we are actually talking about more than just battery toy safety. We wrote this post to remind you that this topic is broader than that. It includes all button and coin batteries as they affect children.
Why These Batteries Concern Parents
The Government of Canada notification reminds us of the consequences of swallowing button, and coin batteries. These may get stuck in our throat, stomach, or further down the line.
Being stuck inside our body means the battery terminals are in contact with our saliva and body tissue. This can complete a battery short-circuit, or trigger a chemical reaction. Both of these can burn us, inside our bodies.
If a small child does not tell an adult what is happening, then The Government of Canada believes that serious consequences will follow, These may include ‘severe, and in some cases, fatal injuries within just two hours, if immediate medical attention is not sought’.
We can’t presume to suggest how individual parents should tackle battery toy safety for children. We wrote this article to help maintain public awareness as Christmas approach. Let’s make this a time when everybody is as safe as can be.
More Information
Another Button Battery Kills Another Child
Button Batteries Endanger Kids Still – Study
