It is every parent’s worst nightmare. When their toddler’s lips turned blue and he stopped breathing, my friend’s husband (a paramedic) knew what to do. He started CPR immediately. As the first breath went in bright red blood poured from their son’s mouth. In desperation, his parents continued performing CPR as they anxiously waited for the ambulance to arrive...but they knew it was too late. He was dead before he ever reached the ER. 

These parents are now walking through unimaginable grief. They were devestated.

And they are not alone...

Each child pictured here is one of many who have been killed or severely injured by swallowing unsecured button batteries. Batteries that can become lodged and burn through a child’s esophagus, causing fatal injuries in as little as two hours. 

We created this petition to demand federal safety standards that require secure button battery compartments and clear warnings of their dangers. We need to hold companies accountable to manufacture safe products and put lives before profits. Every year the number of children harmed by these batteries increases and we need change now! The only thing more tragic than the suffering of these children is the fact that it is entirely preventable. Australia has recognized this danger and put the welfare of children first by passing this legislation. It is time for the United States to do the same! The dangers are known and the solution is simple! This is common sense legislation that affects every individual with children they love!

In 2020, there were 4000 button/coin cell battery ingestions reported to Poison Control Centers in the United States. These numbers are increasing at an alarming rate!

The injuries inflicted by button batteries in a short time are horrific. I know because my daughter is one of those faces. Our lives were changed in an instant when a toy’s battery compartment failed and she quickly swallowed the lithium battery that fell out. Despite being rushed to the ER, she spent a week in the icu, a month in the hospital, and still has a long road to recovery. I never want anyone else to know what it is to be on your knees in an OR waiting room praying that God would take you instead of your baby.

But too many do know...

Since our daughter’s injury, I met other parents whose children were injured or killed by these batteries. Batteries that easily fell out of household items like TV remotes, key fobs, and medical equipment meant to help them. I met a mother whose daughter has spent the last four months in the hospital fighting for her life. I met two more who were devastated by the deaths of their toddlers just days apart this winter. One held her 23 month old son as a battery burned through his aorta and he bled out in minutes. The other spent 40 days watching her 18 month old daughter go through countless surgeries and procedures only to lose her battle. I cannot imagine their pain…but they are channeling that pain into a purpose…protecting the children of others. 

We have joined together in the hope that our collective voices might finally be loud enough to be heard. Our numbers have only continued to grow.

It is easy to hear stories on the news and think...”It could never happen to me.” But this nightmare is becoming a reality for too many families as products containing these batteries increase without safety regulations. It can happen in mere seconds.

Please support our petition for Congress to enact a “Button Battery Bill” that puts in place gravely needed safety standards. No child should ever suffer when it is in our power to protect them!

We are asking specifically for legislation that puts in place mandatory federal safety standards for consumer products containing these batteries. This legislation should require:

1-Secured battery compartments in products with replaceable batteries. This means they shall:

(a) have a battery compartment (or other enclosure) that is secured (with a captive screw, bolt or mechanism) such that it requires a tool to gain access to the batteries,

OR

(b) have a battery compartment that requires two or more independent AND simultaneous actions to remove its cover.

2-Completely secure and inaccessible batteries for products with non replaceable batteries

3-Mandatory testing to ensure compliance with safety standards

4-Highly visible warnings and emergency advice on packaging and products containing button/coin cell batteries

5-Child resistant packaging for button/coin cell batteries

*We also ask that this new legislation ensures that  there are no loopholes which allow large vendors and marketplaces, such as Amazon, to avoid compliance with the aforementioned safety standards. These regulations mean nothing if some of the largest vendors and distributors are not subject to them. 

One child's life lost is one too many. Please help us make sure there is never another!

Thank you so much for your support!

Gratefully,

Kristin and Jason Kientz & Jackie and AJ Huff

Join us at Button Battery Awareness: Protecting Our Children