B2 – Upper Intermediate
Medical cases involving button batteries have been reported since the 1970s. Who would have thought that these tiny things in your remote control or car keys could be so dangerous?
Read the article to find out more.
Discussion Questions:
- According to the article, how do button batteries cause damage?
- What can parents do to prevent incidents with batteries from happening? How should parents child-proof their homes?
- How prevalent are button battery injuries among kids in your country? Why do you think that is?
- What other health-related issues are very common among children in your country these days?
- Have you or anyone you know had a medical emergency as a kid or involving a child? Please share.
4 replies on “Button Batteries Kill”
1. According to the article, how do button batteries cause damage?
When someone (especially young children) swallows a battery, it use to be lodged in the esophagus. Batteries can be also lodged inside nose or ears. These are moist surfaces. On this environment, an electric current is created between the battery and organic surface breaking the molecules of water and producing hydroxide and hydroxide gas which are caustic ion molecules. These caustic product literally eats the tissue. If main blood vessels are affected, it can cause severe bleedings or internal hemorrhages
2. What can parents do to prevent incidents with batteries from happening? How should parents child-proof their homes?
Parents should review carefully which types of toys they buy to their children. It is preferably avoid toys without any type of bottom batteries. If not, they should check that the place where batteries are located it is adequately locked and toy is safety for their children, avoiding batteries be removed.
3. How prevalent are button battery injuries among kids in your country? Why do you think that is?
The incidence has not increased dramatically in my country. However the rates of severe complications have multiplied since the introduction of 3‑volt, 20 mm lithium batteries.
4. What other health-related issues are very common among children in your country these days?
Other medical emergencies related to children use to be broken bones (legs, arms) or swallowing other types of small toys such as bricks from building toys.
5. Have you or anyone you know had a medical emergency as a kid or involving a child? Please share.
No. Fortunately I never had this emergency situation when I was a child at home or any member of my family. A daughter from one friend of mine swallowed a coin when she was a child and they went to hospital where they could remove the coin from her esophagus. It was a stressful situation but it was fine, at the end.
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1. According to the article, how do button batteries cause damage?
They generate an electrical current when posed against a body surface, which leads to the production of hydroxide and hydrogen gas. The hydroxide ions are caustic and cause necrosis.
2. What can parents do to prevent incidents with batteries from happening? How should parents child-proof their homes?
They should ensure that batteries compartment in toys with batteries are properly closed, and they should try to buy durable toys and products that use other types of energy. About how parents should child-proof their homes, that is a difficult question, since each home is different, but one of the main things I would do is to be sure that dangerous products are secured and children cannot reach them easily.
3. How prevalent are button battery injuries among kids in your country? Why do you think that is? I do not really know the prevalence of button batteries in my country. I have tried to search for this information but there are no registries available regarding this data.
4. What other health-related issues are very common among children in your country these days? I think the most health-related issues among children are wounds, broken bones due to falls and ingestion of foreign bodies.
5. Have you or anyone you know had a medical emergency as a kid or involving a child? Please share. Well, I think everybody has had a medical emergency as a kid. I remember broking my leg twice when I was a child, spraining my ankles several times and a lot of wounds when falling from my bike. I also remember my brother had to go to the hospital because he ingested powder detergent when he was a toddler, but fortunately it was not a serious issue.
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