An employee holds battery button cells in the factory of German battery manufacturer Varta in Noerdlingen, Germany. A growing number of medical associations is pushing for battery manufacturers to head off the threat by making a new product: A button or ‘coin cell’ battery that will not lead to catastrophic injuries when swallowed. — AFP
The round batteries, small as buttons and shiny as coins, are prized for the energy they pack at their size. In households, they have become commonplace, powering remote controls, hearing aids, toys, electric tea lights, wristwatches, greeting cards that play music and other familiar items.
But doctors warn that such “button batteries” can maim and kill. Pop one into your mouth and swallow – as thousands of children do annually – and they can quickly cause devastating injuries.
