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May 17, 2012
As our technology devices keep getting smaller and smaller, so do many of the batteries that power them up. A special concern to emergency room doctors is an increase in the number of tots swallowing the small, flat, so-called “button” batteries that can have tragic results.
Every three hours a child shows up in a U.S. emergency room with a battery that’s been swallowed or placed in the mouth, ears or nose, a new study shows. Most cases involve a child under the age of 5, with incidents peaking around 2. That number of cases is almost double what it was 20 years ago, according to the report just published in Pediatrics.
The main culprits are “button batteries,” which account for almost 85 percent of the ER visits, researchers found. These flat, coin-shaped batteries are used in a wide variety of electronic devices, from toys, remote controls, calculators, miscellaneous gadgets, hearing aids, and watches. Many of the toys youngster play with are