Energizer Is Now Making Lithium Coin Batteries Safer In Three Smart Ways
One is a new technology that can alert caregivers in the event a battery is swallowed.
Every time you think your house is childproofed, your baby develops a brand new skill to prove you wrong. Increasing mobility and curiosity keeps parents on their toes constantly, and on the lookout for all the small objects that gravitate toward baby and toddler mouths.
One of the most dangerous household items are lithium coin batteries — also sometimes called button batteries. If swallowed, button batteries can be deadly within a couple of hours without treatment, burning through the esophagus. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), over 70 children have died and tens of thousands have been hospitalized due to the batteries in recent decades.
Energizer, one of the leading manufacturers of coin batteries, has been developing ways to make the batteries safer — and recently unveiled their new 3-in-1 Shield batter in hopes of stopping a large margin of these tragic accidents in the future.
Cari Curtis, Director of Global Marketing, walked Scary Mommy through the three layers of protection that the new coin batteries have.
The first line of defense is child-resistant packaging. “The battery features child-resistant packaging, making it tougher for little hands to open and access the batteries in the first place,” Curtis shared.
The second featreus a bitter coating on the batteries that discourages ingestion. “It is completely non-toxic and offers a repulsive, bitter taste to encourage kids to spit the battery out,” Curtis explained.
“Lastly,” Curtis continued, “only Energizer offers a third layer of protection which is the Color Alert technology. If the battery touches saliva, it turns the mouth blue nearly instantaneously; sending an alert to caregivers to act fast.”
Energizer is partnering with Reese’s Purpose, a non-profit organization founded to identify, advocate and correct safety issues impacting child and their families.
Reese Elizabeth Hamsmith’s life was tragically cut short at just 18 months old after swallowing a button battery. In Reese’s hospital room, a plaque read, “He has a plan, and I have a purpose.”
In the years following the devastating loss, Reese’s Purpose formed and has been actively engaged in passing legislation to protect against the hazards of button batteries. They succeeded in passing Reese’s Law, which (among other precautionary measures) requires battery compartments containing button cell or coin batteries to be secured in a way that requires a tool or at least two independent and simultaneous hand movements to open.
If your child does swallow a button battery, experts say to call 911 immediately and have your child eat honey if you have any, which can help slow or lessen damage.
