Swallowing button batteries could be dangerous for kids

6-year-old Arin Thakur recently swallowed potentially fatal button battery. Here’s what his father, Vijay Thakur did.

An X-ray show a button battery inside human body (SBS) Source: SBS

6-year-old Arin Thakur was recently rushed to hospital after he swallowed a button battery from a calculator he was playing with.

If your child happens to swallow it, doctors advise rushing to hospital immediately. Source: 7News Grab

DID YOU KNOW?

Button batteries are potentially fatal. Product Safety Australia said a child can die or suffer serious injury within a few hours of swallowing a button battery. 

'An electrical current is immediately triggered by saliva, which causes a chemical reaction that can cause severe burns to the child’s oesophagus and internal organs such as the lungs, heart, arteries and spine,' the Product Safety Australia website said. 

Consumer advocate website, Choice.com says these batteries, which can be found in common household items such as kitchen scales and TV remotes, have the potential to do catastrophic damage if they're swallowed – particularly by young children.

Button batteries are commonly found in some children’s toys, calculators, car keys and remote controls.

Ear, nose and throat surgeon Dr John Curotta warned parents about the danger of the batteries, saying two children have died in Australia from swallowing them.

'If they go into your gullet and get stuck there, the secretions act like caustic soda,' he told 7 News .

Twenty children are rushed to hospitals each week after swallowing button batteries. @freya_cole #7News pic.twitter.com/PzlkEmWNNj — 7 News Sydney (@7NewsSydney) May 14, 2017

Arin’s father, Vijay Thakur rushed him to the hospital and doctors were able to remove the battery. The battery recovered from his body, two hours later, was badly corroded.

“I saw the battery. It was rusty. It appeared to be 20 years old,” Vijay Thakur said, showing what remained of the battery that was pulled out of little Arin’s body.

If you suspect a child has swallowed a button battery, immediately call the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26 or go to a hospital emergency room. Do not let the child eat or drink, and do not induce vomiting, Choice.com says.

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