PHILADELPHIA, PA (Catholic Online) - In 2009, there were 5,525 battery-related emergency room visits, which is more than double the number that was in 1990. Today, most battery-powered children toys require a miniscule screw driver to change the battery, which although not very convenient when in a rush, ultimately helps save children's lives. Most ER visits were for batteries for watches, calculators, flashlights, and remote controls. The coin-sized lithium batteries can also be found in musical cards, flameless candles, bathroom scales, and electronic car keys.

The growing use of 3-volt 20-millimeter lithium batteries means that children also face an increased risk for internal burns. If a battery's negative pole comes within contact with the fluids in the body, a microcurrent of electricity can generate hydroxide, which burns tissue quite quickly. Once the burning begins, it may continue even after the battery is removed.

"Lithium batteries can go undetected and [the swallowing of them can] be unwitnessed," Ian Jacobs, M.D., a pediatric otolaryngologist at the Children's Hospital in Philadelphia told Medscape. "Symptoms may be rather vague respiratory symptoms easily confused with other upper respiratory problems. It's very important to have a high index of suspicion when things just don't add up."

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