Recent incidents in Calgary and Edmonton have prompted a warning from Alberta Health Services here in the Lakeland about what can happen if a child accidentally swallows a battery.
Several kids have reportedly swallowed small button batteries, like the ones used to power a watch, and some have ended up in the hospital.
If swallowed, serious burning to the throat or upper digestive tract can occur within two hours even if the battery is expired.
After swallowing a button battery, a child might have one or more of these symptoms: trouble breathing; wheezing and/or drooling; coughing and gagging when eating; trouble swallowing; chest pain; belly pain; nausea and/or vomiting; loss of appetite; and fever.
If your child does swallow a battery, do not induce vomiting and take them to the ER right away.
AHS says preventing a child from ingesting batteries is the best way to avoid serious injury:
Buy household products with secure battery compartments that cannot be easily opened by children.
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Written by Sam Borsato, MyLethbridgeNow.com