Everyday items containing a button battery can pose a risk of harm if your young child has access to the battery. A button battery or flat lithium button battery mixes with saliva creates an electrical current that causes a chemical reaction and burns through soft tissue in as little as two hours.
Be Button Battery Aware:
*Reduce the number of products in your household. Can these sources be replaced with USB rechargeable?
*Secure button batteries and the products they power
*Dispose of spent and unused batteries immediately and safely
*Recognise the signs and symptoms of unwitnessed ingestion; gagging, drooling, unable to eat properly, noisy breathing, chest pain (grunting) vomiting or passing black or red blood.
*Respond immediately if you suspect someone has swallowed or inserted a button battery. Not every facility has the capacity to assess or manage a button battery injury, so you should call your local poisons service for fast expert advice- anywhere in Australia call 13 11 26