March 16-22 is National Poison Prevention Week, and we want to talk about how to prevent button battery poisoning.

Button batteries (also called disc or coin batteries) are used to power watches, cameras, hearing aids, computer games, alarm clocks, bathroom scales, key chains and more. Because they are small, round and smooth, kids can mistake button batteries for food or candy – and swallowing one can lead to serious injury and even death.

Children under the age of six are at the highest risk of ingesting a button battery. From 2021 to 2023, the BC Drug and Poison Information Centre managed 159 cases of button battery exposures, with more than half of them (55%) involving babies and children ages five and under.

If you suspect someone has ingested (swallowed) or inserted a button battery into the ear or nose, this should be treated as quickly as possible. DO NOT induce vomiting.

Symptoms can vary and can include (sometimes there are no symptoms at all):

• Gagging or choking
• Coughing or noisy breathing
• Pain or irritability
• Drooling
• Unexplained vomiting or food refusal
• Abdominal pain
• Nose bleeds
• Unusual odour, discharge, or bleeding from the ears, nose or eyes

Immediate medical attention should be given—call 9-1-1, the BC Drug and Poison Centre at 604 682-5050, or 1 800 567-8911 or go to the nearest emergency department.

While on the way to the emergency department or waiting for help to arrive, give honey if the child is over the age of one to reduce the risk of injury if they can swallow and the ingestion happened less than 12 hours ago. Honey coats the battery and can help reduce the amount of chemical burn.

• For infants under 12 months of age, or if honey is not available, or the child has an allergy, you can use jam.
• Give 10 ml (2 teaspoons) of honey. Repeat this dose every 10 minutes for up to six doses.
• Stop at any point the person is unable to swallow.

Prevention Tips

• Reduce the number of products in your home that use button batteries.
• Safely store batteries, live or dead—in a high up or secure place and never leave them loose or lying around.
• Make sure that products that do have button batteries have screws securing the battery panel.
• When discarding used button batteries, put tape all the way around them and store in a container with a screw-top lid.

Learn More

• ‍Button battery page
• ‍Button battery factsheet (PDF)

Help spread the word: Share this page with your family and friends who interact with children under 6. Use our social media toolkit to share safety messaging around button batteries with your networks.