If a child swallows a battery, the acid can leak out and cause tears and burns in the esophagus, intestines and stomach. In some cases, the battery can become lodged in the throat, posing a choking hazard, or lodged in the intestine, requiring surgical removal.
The fact that some children have died after swallowing button batteries shows how serious this risk is.
The CPSC says it proposed the changes because button cells are becoming more widely used in consumer products and cause thousands of injuries to children each year. The CPSC says it received more than 70,000 reports of children being treated in emergency rooms for button cell injuries from 2010 to 2019, including at least 70 deaths.
New regulations for button batteries
The proposed regulation requires that any toy powered by button cells must have a clearly visible warning about the dangers and must also be designed to make it more difficult for children to access.
The CPSC said the rule would provide “the highest level of safety” for children using toys with button batteries and is consistent with international standards for electronic toys and the CPSC’s Reese’s Law, which takes effect in 2022.
Reese’s Law requires secured battery compartments for electronics containing button batteries or a tool required to open them, a warning on the packaging, a warning on the product, and a warning in the owner’s manual.
The new regulation requires rigorous testing of children’s toys. This includes load tests to ensure that the attached battery compartment remains securely closed even when subjected to pulling, pushing and other impact movements, such as those that may occur when a child handles the toy roughly.
It would also broaden the definition of toys subject to federal toy safety requirements, ensuring that the new requirements apply to all devices, according to the Commission.
Comments on the proposed rule may be submitted until October 15, 2024. Comments may be submitted to the CPSC by email to [email protected] or at https://www.regulations.gov using Docket No. CPSC-2024-0023.
