This article talked about button batteries and how if swallowed, they can cause serious harm, or even death in children. New research is also reporting that althought these incidents are rare, they are on the rise. The latest episode has been in Utah where 10 children were hospitalized, and 7 of those children had serious injuries. Last week there was a recall for Chuck E. Cheese battery-containing toys, because if swallowed, they can do alot of harm. Dr. Fuad Baroody from the University of Chicago says these button-batteries "...are bad news. They have to be removed immediately." These batteries are found literally everywhere, however. Just some of the places where they're found are in toys, musical greeting cards, games, remote controls, cell phones, watches, etc. This can be very dangerous because if swallowed, they can block the throat, or even worse, trigger a chemical process that burns through tissue in only a few hours. The window of operating time to get a battery out of a child is less than two hours, and if it's longer than that, seriously harmful events can occur, including death. Dr. Albert Park from the Primary Children's Medical Center in Salt Lake City says, "This is a very much under-appreciated problem, and the severity of these conditions is under-appreciated." In fact, more than 3,500 people a year swallow button or disk-shaped batteries according to George Washington Medical Center in Washington, D.C. The most deadly is the lithium cell batteries that are about 20 millimeters in diameter. They're very common because they're light and more powerful than older batteries. These batteries have killed 6 of 10 children since 2003 who swallowed batteries. The numbers are increasing too. Since the 1970's there have been 80 severe cases reported to the George Washington Medical center, and 42 of them have been just since 2004. Also, 10 of 14 deaths from 1977 have occured in the last six years, and many cases go unreported. A little battery can be a lot more dangerous than it looks.
Before reading this article, I had never given much thought to children swallowing batteries. But after I read this, I can see how it's a very real and serious problem. Batteries seem to be in just about everything now, and children's toys are no exception. I think it's sort of sad that it has to be that way. When I was little, I liked to mostly play with my Barbies, stuffed animals, and coloring books that did not include any batteries. Of course some of my toys did contain batteries, and kids still play with those battery free toys I mentioned previously, but it seems kids don't like a toy anymore if it isn't able to make noises and "talk" to them. These toys may be fun, but it's not without risks. A little two or three year old doesn't know yet that they're not suppose to swallow a cool little object inside their toy. We can't expect them to not swallow things, and although we could blame parent's for not watching their children closely enough, accidents can always happen. And if this little accident of merely swallowing a battery can cause death, that is an awful thing. I think the government should work on either finding a way to get rid of these batteries, or manufacture them in a way that makes it either impossible for a little child to get ahold of them, or is not harmful if swallowed. This would probably take a lot of money, research, and time, but if it saves lives I most definitely believe it would be worth it.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39273790/ns/health-kids_and_parenting/
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