When a child accidentally swallows a battery, it’s a problem. Within minutes, the battery can break down in their body, burning up and making it important that they get to the emergency room as quickly as possible. Without haste. ASAP.
With batteries able to burn up from within the space of 15 minutes from within a throat, and potentially becoming life threatening in the space of two hours, moving fast is critical.
While parents should clearly point out to their kids not to put batteries or coins or other objects in their mouth, kids will do what kids will do, and that can lead to some horrible situations like batteries being ingested.
Over the past few years, Energizer has been working to prevent that, initially by adding a bitter coating to button batteries beyond what would probably also be a terrible battery flavour, and more recently coloured mouths blue when they touched saliva.
The blue coating meant a parent could quickly work out whether a battery had been ingested or even tasted, and act accordingly. But things can still happen.
To that end, Energizer has tried a slightly different approach, incorporating both of the existing prevention measures — bitter taste and blue colour — while also improving the battery so that it doesn’t begin to burn up quickly, giving parents and doctors more time to get a battery out.
Energizer’s Ultimate Child Shield is an update to its coin lithium batteries used in devices like the Apple AirTag and remote controls, particularly where USB charging hasn’t quite made its way, with a change to the construction of the battery.
The new batteries use a proprietary titanium alloy built to prevent the chemical reaction that leads to burns when a battery is swallowed, meaning you may not have to hurry with quite the same 15 minute timer, though Energizer still suggests making your way to the hospital to have experts remove the battery.
“As coin lithium batteries play an increasingly important role in powering everyday devices, it’s crucial we continue to innovate,” said Amanda Broderick, Senior Director of International Marketing at Energizer.
“Energizer Ultimate Child Shield does exactly that — it includes a revolutionary technology that eliminates the risk of ingestion burns, if a battery is swallowed by a child,” she said.
Representatives for Energizer told Pickr that parents should seek urgent medical care if a battery was swallowed, but that this change was designed to “eliminate the risk of the chemical reaction that causes ingestion burns”.
Essentially, it means parents will still want to get their kids to the ER, but that the timer might not count down in quite the same way, as the battery isn’t at risk of burning up inside the body.
However, it’s worth pointing out that these changes only apply to these newer batteries, and won’t work on existing models.
Specifically, the “Ultimate Child Shield” has the new titanium material that resists breaking down in the body, and not just any old battery you find. Interestingly, it also technically works as a protection mechanism for pets.
In terms of finding the batteries, the Ultimate Child Shield batteries can be found in stores shortly, found in 2016, 2025, and 2032 battery sizes, complete with secure packaging that needs a pair of scissors to open.
