Hidden Hazards in Your Home Can Cause Injury or Death!

Button Batteries

What is the size of a coin and can cause severe injury or death? A button (disc) battery!

Why are they so dangerous? If swallowed, a disc battery can get stuck in a childís throat and burn through the esophagus within two hours.

What are the symptoms? Coughing, drooling, pain and refusing to eat. At first you may not see any signs while serious damage is happening inside!

Where are button batteries found? Singing greeting cards, childrenís books, watches, toys, hearing aids, bathroom scales, and all kinds of remote controls. They are all around us!

What can you do? Keep devices containing batteries out of reach. Check kids toys frequently to be sure that battery compartments are secure. Lock up loose batteries.

Action steps if a child swallows a button battery: Do not induce vomiting, do not let the child eat or drink and take the child to the emergency room right away!

Small Powerful Magnets in Toys

Know that small powerful magnets in kids toys and office toys can be lethal if more than one is swallowed. They can attract each other through loops in the intestines and cause a rip or tear or cut off the blood supply resulting in tissue death.

If you have young kids, including furry kids (pets) in your home, avoid all magnet type toys.

If you see a child swallow a magnet or they say that they did, take the child to the emergency room right away. Never delay medical attention to watch for signs. An x-ray will confirm if a foreign body has been ingested.

Call the Rocky Mountain Poison Center 24/7 at 1-800-222-1222.

This publication was supported by Grant No. 1 H4BHS15506-01-00 from the Health Resources and Services Administrationís Division of Healthcare Preparedness, Poison Control Program (PCP), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The contents of this publication are solely the responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of HRSA/PCP.