Button Battery Warning

It might seem harmless, but the common button battery is doing a lot more harm to kids than we thought.

We've issued this warning before, to be careful with button batteries around children. But a new study is showing that more children are getting hurt and ending up in the ER because of these batteries than every before.

Researchers have found that more than 65,000 children have ended up in the ER after swallowing batteries over the last 20 years. And those numbers are rising. Part of the problem is that small button batteries are easy to swallow and for some reason appealing to some kids. To some they even look like candy. And part of the problem is that they are becoming more common. You'd probably be surprised at just how many of these button batteries you have in your house right now.

But the bigger problem is what happens once a child swallows the battery. The battery itself can burn a hold through the esophagus, the feeding tube, stomach lining or intestines. That then becomes a life-threatening condition. And it can happen just a couple of hours after the battery is swallowed.

So, your best bet is to keep them out of the reach of small children. If you suspect they swallowed a button battery, or if you notice excessive drooling, which can be a sign of something stuck in their throat, don't wait. Get them to the ER.