Small batteries pose greater risks for young children

A new study indicates that parents shouldn’t let young children play with electronic devices that use button-size batteries.

The number of children who are under 5 years old who either ingest small batteries or insert them into their ears, mouth or nose has more than doubled over the past 8 years, according to a study that was published May 14 in Pediatrics, which is American Association of Pediatrics’ official journal.

Button-size batteries, which commonly are used in small electronics devices such as calculators and hand-held games, were responsible for 83 percent of battery-related emergency-room cases that involved children who are under 5.

If a child ingests a button-size battery and it gets caught in his/her esophagus, the battery can emit an electric current that can burn esophageal tissue.

Researchers from Nationwide Children’s Hospital and Ohio State University found that the number of battery-related emergency-room visits increased to 5,525 in 2009 from 2,591 in 1990.