Button battery safety factsheet

Introduction

Button batteries are small, circle-shaped batteries used in many household items, such as:

toys
remote controls and key fobs
kitchen scales
thermometers
musical greeting cards
children’s books that play sound.

Button batteries are extremely dangerous for children and can cause serious injuries or even death if swallowed. They are small and shiny, which can make them attractive to children. Button batteries range in size from 0.5 cm to 3.2 cm wide.

Button batteries can cause severe injury and death by quickly causing internal burns and bleeding from leftover electrical charges and leaking poisonous chemicals.

become stuck in the oesophagus - the tube that connects the mouth to the stomach
travel through organs in the digestive system
become stuck in the nose, eyelids, and ears.

Button batteries cause severe injury in under 2 hours.

Signs and symptoms

Children can swallow button batteries without anyone noticing. Very young children may be unable to tell you they have swallowed one.

Signs that your child may have swallowed a button battery may include:

unusual gagging, choking or drooling
refusal to eat solid food
coughing or noisy breathing
vomiting or regurgitation of food
unexplained fever
chest pain
grunting
black or red vomit or poo
nose bleeds
abdominal pain
general discomfort
blood in the mouth or saliva
bloody discharge from ear or nose.

If you think your child has swallowed a button battery, act immediately:

call the NSW Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26 for first-aid information and advice on where to go for help
DO NOT try to make your child vomit
DO NOT let your child eat or drink until you’ve spoken to the NSW Poisons Information Centre.

Diagnosis

Your child’s treatment team in the emergency department will diagnose your child based on:

symptoms they are showing
any relevant tests or scans.

Treatment

Button battery injuries need hospital treatment.

DO NOT try to treat your child at home by making them vomit.

Call the NSW Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26 for first aid information and advice on which hospital to go to.

Management

Keeping your child safe from button batteries

Button batteries are common, so it’s important to store and dispose of them safely.

Store button batteries safely by:

keeping spare and used batteries in a locked cupboard, out of reach of children
making sure that items using button batteries have a screw to hold the battery compartment closed
keeping items without a screw out of reach

Dispose of used button batteries by:

wrapping them fully in sticky tape and store them in a glass jar, out of reach of children
throwing them away in an outside bin or take them to a battery recycling location as soon as possible.

When buying batteries or items that use button batteries:

only buy what you need and avoid keeping extras at home
choose brands with child-proof packaging that need scissors to open
avoid toys or small items that use button batteries, especially if they are small enough to swallow, like Apple AirTags.

Standards and legislation for button batteries

The Australian Government has introduced four mandatory standards for button batteries and products containing button batteries.

Under the mandatory safety and information standards:

products must have secure battery compartments to prevent children from accessing the batteries
manufacturers must go through compliance testing
manufacturers must supply batteries in child-resistant packaging
manufacturers must place additional warnings and emergency advice on packaging and instructions.

Button battery safety