Swallowing a lithium coin cell battery can cause a life-threatening chemical reaction within two hours - and proves fatal to at least two children a year

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Millions of Brits admit they leave batteries lying around – with nearly a quarter catching a child playing with a loose one in their home. Despite the danger, more than two-thirds of the 2,000 adults polled would be unsure what to do if they came across a child swallowing a battery.

Ingestion of the coin-shaped cells could lead to life threatening chemical reactions in as little as two hours – with energy from the battery reacting with saliva to create caustic soda which, in turn, burns into tissue, causing internal bleeding. More than half (53 per cent) admit they casually leave batteries around the house, rather than stored out of sight.

But 42 per cent think they need to make more effort to securely stow things like batteries in their home. The research was commissioned by Duracell, as part of its #Take10 campaign, to encourage parents to take 10 minutes to check any button batteries in their homes are safely stored out of reach of children, and all devices have battery compartments securely closed.

The battery manufacturer has also teamed up with child safety expert and nurse, Emma Hammett, from First Aid for Life, to offer simple tips to improve safety around the home.

Emma Hammett said: “Taking 10 minutes to check there are no button batteries loose around your home, is a simple step to take to make your home safer.

“Ensure you have located all the devices within your home that contain button batteries and check they are secure, as well as keeping batteries safely out of sight and reach, and recycling used ones appropriately.

“If you suspect your child has swallowed a button battery, get them to A&E as soon as possible, do not delay.”

It also emerged two-thirds of those polled, via OnePoll, feel not enough is known about the dangers of button batteries.

According to the Child Accident Prevention Trust, at least two children a year have died as a result of swallowing lithium coin cell batteries in the UK. And surgeons at Great Ormond Street Hospital are seeing one child a month with corrosive burns caused by them.

Christina Turner, Duracell category director UK & Ireland, said: “We rely on button batteries as an integral part of many of the gadgets we use, like key fobs and remotes for example.

“As a manufacturer of button batteries, we created #Take10 to educate parents, grandparents, and caregivers on the risk and causes of accidental button battery ingestion in the home, and the steps that can be taken to prevent cases from happening.

“We’re the first manufacturer to have introduced child safety features on its button battery range. It has a highly effective bitter substance from Bitrex, which provokes an instinctive reaction in babies and toddlers to spit the battery out if they accidentally put it in their mouth.

“However, protection also relies on households’ checking to make sure that the batteries are secure in their packaging or devices as well.”

EMMA HAMMETT’S TIPS FOR KEEPING YOUR HOME SAFE: