This is your reminder to keep batteries far, far away from young children.
Duracell and nurse Emma Hammett from UK medical organization First Aid for Life teamed up for new research to offer tips to improve safety around the house.
They surveyed 2,000 participants and — while two-thirds of adults said they’d be unsure what to do if their child swallowed a battery — nearly one in four parents have found their child playing with a loose battery at home.
Fifty-three percent also admitted they casually leave batteries out in the open where youngsters could get at them.
That would be a very bad situation. For instance, ingestion of easy-to-swallow, coin-shaped cells — or button batteries — could lead to life-threatening chemical reactions in as little as two hours, with energy from the battery reacting with saliva to create caustic soda that, in turn, burns into tissue, causing internal bleeding.
“Taking 10 minutes to check there are no button batteries loose around your home is a simple step to take to make your home safer,” Hammett advised.
“Ensure you have located all the devices within your home that contain button batteries and check they are secure, as well as keeping batteries safely out of sight and reach and recycling used ones appropriately,” she continued.
If you suspect your child has swallowed a battery, she recommends getting them to an emergency room “as soon as possible — do not delay.”
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