Button and Coin Cell Battery Technology Position Statement

The American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) has joined forces with a growing coalition of medical societies and organizations to sound the alarm on the urgent need for battery manufacturers to produce and sell safe button or coin cell batteries. These batteries pose a significant threat to human health, especially among children, and immediate action is crucial to mitigate the life-threatening risks associated with their ingestion or application to moist tissue surfaces.

Currently, no battery manufacturer offers a safe button or coin cell battery in the consumer marketplace, and none have publicly committed to producing them. These seemingly harmless objects can cause severe tissue injuries to the esophagus, trachea, or major vasculature. Swallowing a battery or placing it on a moist tissue surface can lead to rapid production of hydroxide at the battery's negative pole due to its current. This process damages and liquefies the lining of the esophagus, nose, or ear drum, potentially causing a severe burn or perforation.

"As the holidays approach, the exposure and risk are heightened as toys, decorations, and electronics are powered by these types of batteries. Many children have already been harmed, and others remain at risk in their homes. Battery manufacturers have the opportunity and responsibility to ensure widespread industry and consumer adoption of a safe battery technology that will prevent children from sustaining severe injuries or dying," said James C. Denneny III, MD, AAO-HNS Executive Vice President and CEO.

The risk posed by button and coin cell batteries is substantial and continues to grow. Over the last few decades, there has been a marked increase in miniaturized electronics—such as remote controls, toys, holiday decorations, tea candles, key fobs, greeting cards, and other devices—that are powered by these batteries. It is estimated that every 75 minutes, a child under 18 years of age presents to an emergency department in the United States with a battery-related complaint; moreover, this incidence has more than doubled in the last decade.

"The clock starts ticking from the moment a button battery becomes lodged in the body, and serious injury can occur in as little as two hours," said Kris Jatana, MD, AAO-HNS member and Surgical Director of Clinical Outcomes and Professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at Nationwide Children's Hospital and Ohio State University.

With the recent endorsement by the American College of Surgeons of the Position Statement on Button and Coin Battery Technology, there are now 12 organizations and societies supporting this effort to eliminate the risk posed by button and coin cell batteries in the pediatric community.

The following organizations have endorsed the Position Statement:

• American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery

• American Academy of Pediatrics

• American Broncho-Esophagological Association

• American College of Surgeons

• American Pediatric Surgical Association

• American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology

• European Laryngological Society

• European Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology

• Global Industry Research Collaborative

• North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition

• Society for Ear Nose and Throat Advancement in Children

• The Triological Society

For more information:

Consumer information: If anyone ingests a battery, immediately call the 24-hour National Battery Ingestion Hotline at 1-800-498-8666. To be prepared and learn more about what to do should your child swallow a battery, visit https://www.poison.org/battery.