A new button battery from Energizer could be a complete game changer for parents of young kids. Lithium button batteries have become increasingly more popular and can be found in anything from small toys to household items like thermometers and even smartwatches. As a result, more and more young children are having to be treated after ingesting these small batteries. Now Energizer's new battery would alert parents if their kids happen to swallow one.
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The new lithium coin battery from Energizer releases a blue dye upon contact with any sort of moisture, like saliva, immediately alerting parents. Between 2010 and 2019, 70,300 emergency doctor visits were related to kids and battery issues. Nearly 80% involved button batteries.
Apart from the choking hazard, batteries' chemicals can cause severe bodily injury, and even death, within a matter of hours if ingested, according to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission. The electric current that comes from saliva interacting with the battery can burn through body tissue, which can be lethal.
Energizer partnered with children’s safety nonprofit Reese’s Purpose to design a safer button battery. The organization was created by the Hamsmith family, who lost their 18-month-old daughter after she swallowed a button battery. They also created even stronger childproof packaging. The packaging will require scissors to open it, and there will be a bitter-tasting coating on the battery as well.
These new button batteries use a "color alert technology" where the dotted negative underside of the battery releases a nontoxic, food grade blue dye when it comes in contact with moisture, like saliva. The company states that the dye contains "approximately as much dye as an ounce of a sports drink" and disappearance will depend on how much the mouth is rinsed.
It is important to remember that since the color alert is activated by moisture, this means all moisture, including wet hands, count. Additionally, the bitter coating and dye are only good for one use, so if they are removed, the battery should be thrown away. The dye can stain items, but wiping them with a damp cloth, blotting with a paper towel, or rinsing may help.
