A New Danger From An Old Problem
9News
Button batteries can be found anywhere: in thermometers, hearing aids, even those popular singing cards. These tiny round lithium batteries are often swallowed by children who have mistaken them as toys. In the last few years the fatality rate for children who swallow batteries has gone up, primarily because the use of lithium batteries has increased over the use of alkaline batteries. Lithium batteries are more powerful and can cause a lot of damage in a very short amount of time if swallowed.
"We've seen a change in the course of the past two years is the types of injuries caused by button batteries. We think that relates to the change of lithium batteries which carries twice the amount of voltage than the alkaline batteries," said Robert Kramer, MD, Children's Hospital Colorado.
Watch a video as one family talks about their traumatic experience after their son swallowed a button battery.
