Sioux City, Iowa – If you had hand-held video games, watches or any other electronics under your tree, those shiny, button-sized batteries were likely in the box, too, and those batteries can be a critical problem if a child swallows one. Janna Day, a nurse and the education and outreach manager at the Iowa Poison Control Center, says the moisture in the throat can trigger the flow of current in the battery, which can lead to serious trouble in the esophagus.
Curious kids can find those batteries in all sorts of products, from bathroom scales to grandma’s hearing aids. Unfortunately, it likely means a trip to the ER for X-rays if a battery is swallowed.
Other potential hazards are lurking. Many Iowans have ice melting products in their garages, for use on the sidewalk and driveway. Day says those tiny granules of ice melt might look appetizing to a child, so keep them out of reach.
If your child ate ice melt, or anything else questionable, be on the safe side and call the Sioux City-based Iowa Poison Control Center. The experts are available any day, around-the-clock at 1-800-222-1222.
