If you’ve ever had any doubts about whether button batteries are extremely dangerous to kids, you don’t need to look any further than this video here.
Most of us have had a friend, family member, or a co-worker share a story about a kid swallowing a small object, and it causing a major panic. It might be a penny, or a LEGO piece, or some other tiny piece of whatever.
In fact, a study showed that over the past 25 years, visits to emergency rooms have doubled for cases of kids swallowing small items.
A very dangerous swallow-hazard are the lithium button batteries that are found in all kinds of electronics and toys. And you know kids like to put anything and everything in their mouths.
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Dr. Mike Rubin of Ottawa, Ontario, shared a video on his Twitter account of an experiment he conducted with a lithium button battery to show how quickly these items can do major damage to the body.
Take a look at this sobering video to see the proof.
Sadly, dozens of kids die each year from ingesting button batteries. These batteries can and do pass through the digestive system without issues, but if they become stuck in a person’s esophagus, the effects can be devastating – especially if the battery goes undetected for weeks or months.
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If you’re with a child who swallows a lithium battery button, get them to an emergency room immediately, but also feed them honey, which can help coat the battery and protect their tissue. Keep in mind, though, that honey is not a long term solution and you must get the child to an ER as quickly as possible.
