Summit medical examiner: Tallmadge 2-year-old died from swallowing button battery
The death of a 2-year-old Tallmadge girl last month has been ruled an accident that was caused by swallowing a button battery, according to the Summit County Medical Examiner's Office.
Gary Guenther, the office's chief investigator, said the March 19 death of Nahlah Barber was caused by hemorrhagic shock due to esophageal erosion due to complications of a presumed swallowed button battery.
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The office previously said that foul play was not involved in the death of Nahlah, who lived in the 300 block of South Avenue.
Tallmadge police previously said they responded to a child experiencing a medical emergency March 19. Police said the girl’s father had left to take her to an urgent care facility, with Tallmadge EMS taking the child to Akron Children’s Hospital, where Nahlah was pronounced dead, according to police.
What are button batteries?
Lithium coin batteries, also called button batteries, are small, disc-shaped cells about the size of a nickel, or 20 millimeters, with 2032, 2025 and 2016 the most popular sizes.
Battery company Duracell uses a non-toxic bitter coating on the cell of its lithium coin batteries that's meant to discourage kids from swallowing them if they put them in their mouths and makes them want to spit it out.
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The company said the coating contains Bitrex (denatonium benzoate),"the most bitter substance in the world." The name comes from the combination of "bitter" and the Latin "rex," meaning king. Duracell also uses double blister packaging that requires scissors to open.
Duracell said that devices powered by lithium coin batteries include key fobs, key finders, calculators, remote controls, kitchen scales, thermometers, home security system window and door alarms, weight scales, meat thermometers, heart rate monitors, flameless candles, wireless doorbells, string lights, garage door openers, watches, games and toys, calculators, medical devices (like hearing aids), flashing jewelry and singing greeting cards.
What should I do if my child swallows a button battery?
If swallowed, a lithium coin battery can get lodged in a child’s esophagus and cause serious harm in as little as two hours, the company said. If your child swallows a battery, go to an emergency room immediately or call 911.
For more information, visit duracell.com/en-us/products/lithium-coin-batteries/. For other questions or concerns, call 1-800-498-8666 or visit batteryingestionhotline.com. The hotline is available 24/7/365 and offers 100% confidential and free advice from trained nurses, pharmacists and physician toxicologists.
The hotline said that every year in the United States, more than 3,500 people of all ages swallow button batteries. According to the hotline, from 1985 to 2021, there were 63,717 total cases involving children 6 and under, 358 severe cases and 67 fatal cases.
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The hotline said that a battery stuck in the esophagus is likely to cause tissue damage, with an electrical current forming around the outside of the battery generating hydroxide (an alkaline chemical), causing a tissue burn. Button batteries can also cause permanent injury when they are placed in the nose or the ears, the hotline said.
Duracell said devices containing lithium coin batteries should be stored away and out of reach of children, and devices without screw-on compartments should be sealed with tape. New, used and expired batteries should all be secured and placed safely up high and out of reach of children, including until expired batteries can be properly disposed of, the company said.
Contact Beacon Journal reporter Emily Mills at emills@thebeaconjournal.com and on Twitter @EmilyMills818.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Tallmadge 2-year-old Nahlah Barber died from swallowing button battery
