Never leave batteries lying around the house if you have kids.

Never leave batteries lying around the house if you have kids. IF a child swallows a battery, take that child to the hospital immediately because if a button battery gets stuck in the food pipe (esophagus), it can burn through the throat and kill the child within 2hours. Why are batteries dangerous if swallowed? This…

Never leave batteries lying around the house if you have kids.

IF a child swallows a battery, take that child to the hospital immediately because if a button battery gets stuck in the food pipe (esophagus), it can burn through the throat and kill the child within 2hours.

Why are batteries dangerous if swallowed?

This is because the battery itself reacts with bodily fluids, such as mucus or saliva. That reaction creates a circuit that releases a substance just like caustic soda, which is a strong alkali that can burn a hole through the throat.
So what do I do if my child swallowed a battery?

Do NOT give the child anything to drink
Do NOT give the child anything to eat
Do NOT try to make the child vomit it.

Making the child vomit would cause more damage to the throat as the battery comes back up.

Do nothing. Go to the hospital.
What happens at the hospital?

Doctors will do an X-ray to locate the battery and estimate the size. They can then use a flexible tube with a camera at the end to pull out the battery.

All this will be done by specialists as an emergency procedure while the child is put to sleep.
How can I prevent kids from swallowing batteries?

1. Keep new unused batteries in their original package out of sight and reach of children. Keep them on top of shelves that kids can’t reach or get to.

2. Use tape to seal battery compartments of watches, remote control, etc
3. Only buy your toys and equipment from reliable sources – they are more likely to have passed safety regulations.

4. When a battery has died, please throw it away safely straight away. Do NOT keep old batteries at home or anywhere kids may get to. Always dispose them properly.

5. Please do not put old used batteries in the general house dustbin. Put them in special disposal containers and ask with the local authorities on how to safely dispose them- if your country has that facility. Many supermarkets also have battery disposal bins for such purposes.

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