"The only real solution to the battery problem is to make the battery itself safer," said Dr. Toby Litovitz, founder of the National Capital Poison Center.
"Unfortunately, these batteries cause such severe injuries so rapidly," some of which are impossible for surgeons to repair, said Dr. Kris Jatana, surgical director of clinical outcomes at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Ohio.
When button batteries are lodged in the body, their electrical current breaks down water, driving up alkalinity to dangerous levels akin to bleach.
A growing number of medical associations is pushing for battery manufacturers to head off the threat by making a new product: A button or 'coin cell' battery that will not lead to catastrophic injuries when swallowed.
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