Button Batteries Are Target of OPSS Campaign

The UK Office for Product Safety & Standards (OPSS) January 26 launched a safety campaign on button batteries. It includes highlighting that the batteries' reaction to saliva creates a caustic substance comparable to drain cleaners.

Four organizations are aiding the effort, which focuses on ensuring proper storage; knowing which products use them so as to check on secure battery compartments, educating older children not to give batteries to younger ones, and discarding or recycling dead batteries promptly.

OPSS also is giving this advice:

"If you think your child has swallowed a button battery, take them straight to the nearest A&E department or call 999 for an ambulance. Take the battery packaging, toy, or gadget if you can to help staff identify the battery. Symptoms may not be obvious. Your child might be coughing, gagging, or drooling, or pointing to their throat or tummy. Unclear or fluctuating symptoms mean it is important to be vigilant. Do not let your child eat or drink or make your child be sick."

The four groups are The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, The Child Accident Prevention Trust, The Chartered Trading Standards Institute, and The British and Irish Portable Battery Association.