When Batteries Burn: Understanding the Risk of Chemical Leaks and Ingestion in Children

Most homes throughout Atlanta are inundated with batteries of every kind. This is especially true when it comes to families with small children, given the extensive need for power toys and electronics. Adults need a variety of batteries too, for everything from key fobs to hearing aids. Unfortunately, some of these products are small enough that they can be easily swallowed.

The reality is that battery-related injuries among children are on the rise, and the chemicals inside these tiny devices can easily cause havoc if ingested. With a few hours of swallowing the wrong kind of battery, a child’s intestines can begin to suffer severe burns.

If your child was injured in this way due to someone else’s negligence, you could be entitled to a monetary award. At Mabra Law, we proudly advocate for kids who have suffered in this way. Reach out today to learn how an Atlanta personal injury lawyer can help.

Why Children Are at Risk for Battery-Related Injuries

Battery-related injuries, particularly those involving button or coin cell batteries, are among the most dangerous yet preventable household hazards facing children today. Young children are naturally curious, but they typically lack the ability to recognize danger.

When that curiosity meets a small, shiny object like a button battery, the risk of ingestion rockets up. An Atlanta personal injury lawyer can help families pursue justice when the following factors cause a child to become exposed to battery chemicals.

The Size of Small Batteries

Certain types of batteries are small, smooth, and coin-shaped. This makes them ideal for young children to swallow or even get stuck in their ears or nose. Once inside the body, these batteries can cause devastating injuries within minutes as they come into contact with saliva or mucous membranes. The electrical current they emit can cause tissue burns, and they are especially dangerous when swallowed, once they start to break down in the stomach.

Common Household Products Contain Them

Many parents are unaware of just how many items in the home contain button batteries. These include everything from their children’s toys to TV remotes, and they are rarely difficult to remove. In many of these products, the battery compartments are not properly secured, meaning they are not secured by a screw or a lock. The problem is that products designed to be convenient for adults can have really bad outcomes for small children.

Curiosity

Young children explore their world by touching, tasting, and experimenting with their environment. Anything small and shiny becomes a target for inspection. A button battery can easily be mistaken for candy or a coin. Even if a child has never been injured before, they may instinctively put small objects in their mouth as a way of exploring the unknown. Their inability to recognize danger makes them uniquely vulnerable to injury from small objects like batteries.

Lack of Supervision

While no caregiver can watch a child every second of the day, inadequate supervision can lead to serious injuries. Leaving products with unsecured batteries within reach of toddlers or allowing them to play with adult electronics are all common scenarios that can result in tragedy. When a child accesses a battery because a responsible adult failed to act, that adult may be held legally accountable.

What Happens When a Child a Battery

When a child swallows a battery or comes into contact with a leaking one, the results can be devastating. These items pose a unique threat because of their chemical makeup and electrical charge. While it might seem like such a small object couldn’t do much harm, the damage begins almost immediately. Understanding what happens inside a child’s body after exposure is pivotal not only in your effort to undo that damage, but also if you are considering legal action.

Tissue Damage

The most dangerous effect of battery exposure is chemical burning. When a battery becomes lodged in the body, it creates a closed circuit that generates an electrical current. This current reacts with the body’s tissues and surrounding fluids, which essentially leads to the tissue being dissolved and destroyed. This can begin as quickly as 15 to 30 minutes after contact and become severe in just a few hours.

Rapid Onset

One of the most frightening aspects of battery ingestion is how quickly the damage occurs. Even when a child appears fine, severe internal injuries may be developing silently. Within two hours, a lodged battery can burn through the esophageal wall and begin damaging surrounding organs. In some cases, it can lead to internal bleeding, airway damage, vocal cord paralysis, and life-threatening infections. Because the injuries are internal, they are often misdiagnosed as common illnesses unless a caregiver witnessed the ingestion or exposure.

Long-Term Effects

Not all injuries involve swallowing the battery. Children who place them in their noses or ears can suffer serious localized burns that require surgical repair. In the most serious cases, these events can even lead to the death of a child. Even with prompt medical intervention, many children need extensive, ongoing emotional and psychological support.

Recognizing the Signs of Battery Exposure

Battery injuries can be difficult to identify, especially in cases where the parents or caretakers are uncertain if a child actually swallowed a battery or not. Further complicating an already difficult situation is the fact that the symptoms of swallowing a battery often mimic common childhood illnesses. This can, unfortunately, lead to delays in both diagnosis and treatment. It is important to quickly recognize the signs of potential battery exposure, given that tissue damage can begin to take effect in a handful of minutes. If negligence contributed to the injury, an Atlanta personal injury lawyer can help your family pursue justice and recover the resources your child will need. Some signs that can be present following battery exposure include:

• Difficulty with swallowing
• Vomiting
• Coughing without an apparent cause
• Chest pain
• Refusal to eat
• Wheezing or noisy breathing

Any suspicion of battery ingestion should be treated as a medical emergency. This means seeking out emergency care instead of waiting to see if the symptoms go away on their own. Go to the nearest emergency room immediately and inform medical staff that a battery may have been swallowed, and allow these medical professionals to guide you on what to do next.

Liability for Battery Injuries in Children

When a child is injured by a battery, it is natural to wonder who is to blame. In many cases, these incidents are not simply accidents, but instead are the result of some kind of negligence or defective product. Under the law, you have the right to seek damages from multiple parties if they each share in the blame for a battery-related accident. An Atlanta personal injury lawyer could help you pursue justice against any of the following:

Manufacturers

Product manufacturers are responsible for designing safe, child-resistant battery compartments, especially for goods that are used in the home. They have an obligation to take children into mind, even if the product is not directly intended for them. If a device can be opened without tools, a court might find that the design is defective. Likewise, these cases could stem from a lack of warning labels or instructions guiding the consumer on how to use or store these products safely.

Toy Makers

Companies that produce toys or novelty items must follow strict safety guidelines, particularly if the products are marketed to children under the age of 14. Federal law requires child-resistant battery compartments in all electronic toys designed for young children. If a toy lacks proper locking mechanisms or uses substandard material that is easily broken, the toy company could be at fault.

Retailers

You might also have a viable claim against the point of sale for a dangerous product, even if they had nothing to do with designing it. While stores are not always on the hook for what they sell, they could be liable if they were aware that a product was dangerous or had been recalled.

Daycares

When children are left at a daycare, there is an expectation that the workers there prioritize the safety of the kids over everything else. If the staff allows children access to unsafe electronics, the facility and their employees could ultimately be held accountable for any injuries that occur.

Caretakers

You may also have grounds for legal action if the person charged with caring for your child is negligent. Whether it is a babysitter or a family member, any actions that put a child in danger by exposing them to harmful batteries could provide you with the right to file an injury lawsuit against them.

How to Prove Your Case

In general, lawsuits involving battery-related injuries are built on one of two legal theories: negligence or product defects. Negligence means that someone’s careless or reckless actions exposed your child to harm, while a defective product is one that is unreasonably dangerous given the circumstances.

Proving that a product was defective in a battery injury case can be complicated. These cases often hinge on whether the product in question was unreasonably dangerous and whether the injury could have been prevented if the manufacturer had been more careful.

The first step is to preserve the evidence. This includes the product that caused the injury, the battery itself, and any original packaging or instruction manuals. Photographs are also important, as they can show everything from the scene to the source of the batteries. If the product was disposed of or repaired after the incident, proving it was defective may be harder.

An experienced Atlanta personal injury lawyer will typically consult with an array of experts to evaluate the design and functionality of the device. These experts can assess whether the battery compartment could be easily opened by a child or if some other design defect is to blame.

In cases involving recalled products, an attorney can investigate whether the manufacturer, distributor, or retailer was aware of similar past injuries or complaints. If there’s evidence that a company continued to sell a hazardous product despite known risks, it can greatly strengthen the claim. Similarly, if a daycare or facility failed to follow its own safety protocols or ignored a known hazard, that failure may constitute negligence under Georgia law.

Medical records and expert testimony can further support the case by linking the child’s injuries directly to the battery exposure and ruling out other potential causes. Proving negligence or product defect isn’t always simple, but with the right legal guidance and thorough documentation, families can seek justice for the suffering their child has endured. A qualified Atlanta personal injury lawyer can handle these complexities and help your child recover the compensation they deserve.

Talk to Mabra Law Today About Your Child’s Battery-Related Injury

Learning that your child has been harmed due to swallowing a battery can bring a parent equal parts fear and anger. Once the child’s health is secure, it is natural to want to get to the bottom of how this could have happened. While some exposure to batteries stems from genuine bad luck, others result from negligence.

From careless babysitters to defective products, it can be difficult to get to the bottom of exactly how your child was hurt. The good news is that you don’t have to investigate these distressing incidents on your own. Your attorney could be invaluable in helping you build a winning case for damages.At Mabra Law, we have developed a reputation as fierce advocates for consumers in Atlanta. If your child was harmed by a defective product, we are ready to help you get the justice you deserve. We are also experienced with taking on negligence cases, and will work tirelessly to ensure you are treated fairly in court. Contact us as soon as possible for a free consultation.