"Button" Batteries: Safety Risk for Kids

(CBS)  Parents have something new to be concerned about: "button" batteries. These batteries, about the size of a quarter, experts say, are injuring children at an alarming rate.

As "Early Show" Consumer Correspondent Susan Koeppen notes, they're found in many products in people's homes, but they pose a serious risk for children.

Write Susan on Twitter
E-mail Susan Koeppen

Koeppen shared the story of 13-month-old Kaiden Vasquez who became seriously ill when he swallowed a button battery. But when his mother Amy Vasquez rushed him to the emergency room, she was told her son had the stomach flu.

But after a week, Kaiden got even worse.

Amy said, "They finally got an X-ray and discovered that he had swallowed what they thought was a coin."

However, what doctors thought was a coin turned out to be a lithium button battery from a remote control in the family's home.

Koeppen added the battery wasn't just stuck in Kaiden's throat, it had burned a hole through his esophagus.

Amy said, "I never imagined he could have swallowed a button battery. Never imagined the extent of the damage that it did to him."

Kaiden was in the hospital for weeks and needed a feeding tube for months.

"It was devastating because I knew that we could lose him at any minute," Amy said.

According to the National Capital Poison Center, 3,500 button battery ingestions are reported to U.S. poison centers every year. Nine deaths have been reported in the past six years. And in 2009 alone, toddlers in Ohio and Colorado lost their lives after swallowing button batteries.

Dr. Toby Litovitz, director of the National Capital Poison Center in Washington D.C., told CBS News, "We're seeing more serious cases and more frequent serious cases."

Litovitz says any button battery can cause a problem, but the 20 millimeter battery -- about the size of a penny or nickel -- poses the greatest threat.

Litovitz explained, "The battery gets stuck in the throat, and a hole is created because the battery essentially burns through the esophagus or the throat."

She added, "These are tragic, tragic cases. They are disasters that are very difficult to treat."

Button batteries of all sizes are found in common household products, such as thermometers, calculators, scales, and remote controls.

Litovitz demonstrated how a child could get a battery out of a remote control for a music player. "It's rather easy to get the battery out of this," she said. "You just pull it out and there's the battery. So any child could get a battery out of this remote device."

Koeppen added even musical greeting cards use button batteries.

Litovitz says 62 percent of children who swallow batteries get them directly out of the product. And even dead batteries can be dangerous, Litovitz said.

She said, "Dead batteries don't power the products but they can still cause serious damage to the child."

A year and a half later, Kaiden Vasquez has fully recovered from his injury, but his mom says manufacturers need to do a better job of securing battery compartments.

"I feel totally grateful that he had made it through this, but I do not want anybody else to suffer what we had suffered," Amy said. "It's devastating to a family.

Koeppen added on "The Early Show" that unless you see a child swallow the battery, it can be difficult to diagnose. Symptoms mimic the flu with vomiting, fever, cough and lack of appetite.

"This is something that needs to be treated quickly," she said. "Doctors say you only have about two hours to get that battery out before it starts to burn."

Koeppen said some products actually require that you use a screwdriver to get into the battery compartment. She said the battery industry is calling on product manufacturers to make battery compartments in such a way that you need a tool to get inside. Koeppen said the makers of children's products do a good job of that. In the meantime, Koeppen said, parents need to keep products with batteries out of the reach of children.

[leuis7]

This is a serious and dangerous for our pets as well.The small hearing aid batteries would be bad.Every parent must look at their child's environment as an efficient death machine. While every possibility cannot be prevented, most accidents can be avoided. Parents must CONSTANTLY ask themselves, "How can this room, house, car, etc. kill my child and how can I prevent it?" so they have to protect the childerns from this hazards.it is strong responsibilities of parents.
http://www.allmothers.net/battery-ingestion-children.html

[YourKidAteWhat]

The TLC television series "Your Kid Ate What?" is currently seeking new stories for upcoming episodes.

If your family went through the terrifying ordeal of a child ingesting a foreign body (toy parts, batteries, coins, screws or any other unusual object) that required medical attention we want to hear from you.

Please visit us at the following link where you will find instructions for contacting us:
http://tlc.discovery.com/tv/your-kid-ate-what/casting-call.html

[undoula]

As a former ER nurse, I have witnessed some tragic outcomes - it takes a tenth of a nanosecond for a busy toddler to pop something dangerous in its mouth. Show some compassion, those of you with your flip and judgmental comments. Your hardass response may come back and bite you in it

[zippiez]

You and beingamanda are missing the point.
Every parent must look at their child's environment as an efficient death machine. While every possibility cannot be prevented, most accidents can be avoided. Parents must CONSTANTLY ask themselves, "How can this room, house, car, etc. kill my child and how can I prevent it?" Once parents accept this reality, the ER should see a dramatic reduction in these accident types.
Can parents make time for this analysis? I hope so.

[sjc_1]

There was a program about parents involvement with their children's lives when it came to education. Europe and Asian parents were very involved but U.S. parents did not take the time "it was their bowling night". If that attitude carries through to this, then American parents can not be bothered, they have other things that they would rather do.

[Scimajor]

This is why every kid toy that I've seen in the last ten years has had a small screw to secure the battery compartment.

[beingamanda]

to the previous posters- shame on you. im sure you are all perfect parents whose children have never touched something they shouldnt. there but for the grace of god, and may you never, ever have to experience the horror of watching your child die because of a senseless accident caused by a common household item, like i and so many others have had to. look at these pictures of my nine month old daughter on life support, read our story, then tell me how stupid i am.

http://hazelana.blogspot.com/2008/12/empty.html

[AuntChristineNYC]

This is a serious danger for our pets as well. There are plenty of dog and cat toys (and automated feeding equip) that use button batteries. And we all know how cats lick things off the floor and counters, and, dogs tear into stuffies and plastics to get at the noise-makers. Very serious danger and thanks for the warning.

[sjc_1]

The small hearing aid batteries would be bad. Anything small enough to go into a toddler's mouth can and probably will. It is up to the parents to make sure NONE of that is laying around within reach.

[zippiez]

Kids can swallow anything. What about the double and triple A batteries? What about bandages? Oh, does that mean kids suffer because adults are so stupid and careless and never think farther than 2 seconds into the future?

[lileoj]

Everything is dangerous. Wish people would stop overdoing this "protect my kid" crap.

[msay3]

You could have gone a lifetime without saying that!!