Many button batteries I’ve tested have hidden dangers – but this brand gets it right

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ZDNET Highlights

• Lithium button cells can cause serious injury or death if swallowed.
• Many manufacturers coat their batteries with bitter substances to discourage ingestion.
• Energizer has now added a marker dye to make ingestion easier to detect.

Lithium button cell (sometimes called coin cell) batteries are everywhere from car keys to airtagAnd while they seem innocent enough, if swallowed, they can cause serious injury by damaging the esophagus or airway in less than two hours, resulting in death in the worst case,

Also: This $15 USB-C cable is the best security investment I’ve made for my gadget

Every year in America alone, About 3,500 button cells have been swallowedMostly by children. I have suffered such an injury myself, and have seen several examples in first aid training materials, and it is no joke.

Making button cells safe requires two things: preventing accidental ingestion and being able to detect if a button cell has been swallowed.

For some years now, many button cell manufacturers have been coating their batteries in Bitrex, a harmless chemical compound that is the most bitter substance known. A thimbleful in an Olympic-sized swimming pool can turn the entire water bitter.

Also: The Best Rechargeable Batteries You Can Buy

This substance is added to a wide range of products from bleach and antifreeze to prevent ingestion nintendo game cardAnd let me tell you, this stuff is terrifying (if you don’t believe me, you really can, Request a Free Taste Test Kit from the manufacturer).

Another step taken by manufacturers is to make it harder to open the packaging without using scissors. This makes it very difficult for both adults and children to get new batteries.

battery maker Energizer took things a step further with color warning lineIn addition to the hard-to-open packaging and liberal application of Bittrex, a patch of dye has been applied to the battery to make it more obvious that it has gone into someone’s mouth, The color alert line covers common button cell sizes like cr2032, CR2025And CR2016,

Food-grade dye is applied to points on the back of the battery. It doesn’t seem like much, but it’s more than enough!

Once it comes in contact with water or saliva, it dissolves and rapidly spreads everywhere. The bright blue color is really visible on the skin, especially in the mouth and on the tongue.

The dye stains the skin for several hours (in my tests, it remained on my skin for several hours, resisting multiple attempts to wash it off), and can alert caregivers to the fact that a button cell has been ingested.

Oh yes, and don’t forget about bittrex in die. I tasted it and I regretted it!

If you suspect that the button cell has been swallowed, go to the emergency room immediately.

If you are unsure, call Poison Control immediately at 1-800-222-1222.

The dye and Bitrex coating appear to have no effect on the usefulness of the batteries. Some devices have had issues with some Duracell cells being problematic – particularly AirTags – but I’ve had no such problems with Energizer cells.

These are the safest button cells I have used, and thus, I recommend that you only purchase these. They keep you safe (not that most of my readers are going to eat batteries), keep children and vulnerable people around you safe, and help keep pets safe too (yes, some of them will even eat coin cells).

I have no problem with Energizer batteries — I use them too Lithium AA And aaa battery Where I need long life or resistance to cold temperatures – and the prices are reasonable. A Six-pack of CR2032The most commonly used size, and the one that fits AirTags, is only $7.