If the size of a button battery increases, then the burning in a child’s esophagus will be more severe, because the increased surface area and larger acid capacity in the button battery will result in worse burns.

Have you ever used a button battery? These small, round, coin shaped batteries are used in all sorts of everyday items, like watches, remotes, and toys. They might seem harmless but what would happen if a child accidentally swallowed one? In this experiment, I’m going to explore the dangers of swallowing a button battery and what could happen if it gets stuck in a child’s esophagus. I’ll test it out by using thin meat to replicate the esophagus.

If a child swallows a button battery and it gets stuck in their esophagus it can cause serious harm. The batteries acid can create a chemical reaction that burns the tissue in the throat leading to severe injuries. It may also cause electrical burns, swelling, or even holes in the esophagus which could result in infection , life long issues, excessive bleeding or even death. Symptoms include pain, difficulty swallowing, coughing, vomiting, and trouble breathing. Researches say that the chances of the button battery getting stuck in a child’s esophagus when swallowed are around 50% - 65%. Sodium hydroxide ( also known as NaOH) is a chemical found in button batteries that is responsible for the burning and damage in the esophagus. It is commonly found in alkaline batteries, which are normally button batteries. NaOH is very corrosive and toxic, meaning it can cause serious harm. When a button battery gets stuck in the esophagus, NaOH reacts with the acids and water in the mouth and throat. This reaction releases heat. The heat causes burns and the chemical reaction can corrode the tissue in the esophagus. This damage can be severe and life threatening if not treated quickly.

The purpose of this experiment is to highlight the dangers of swallowing button batteries and to give parents a visual representation of what can happen to a child's esophagus. Between 2016 and 2021, reports show that there were 27 deaths and at least 10,000 children had to go to the emergency room after swallowing these small batteries. This survey shows just how serious the issue is and why it’s so important to keep dangerous items like button batteries away from young children. By understanding the risks we can better protect kids from these life threatening accidents.By learning about these risks parents can become more aware to protect their children from these accidents. In this experiment I test how different battery sizes affect the severity of burns. This could help show parents just how dangerous button batteries can be. This experiment might provide medical experts with a visual representation of the damage caused, which could be helpful as they work toward finding better treatments or solutions for this problem.

Nahlah Barber, a 2 year old girl in Tallmadge, Summit County, Ohio accidently swallowed a button battery while playing with her toy, this led to a tragic accident. On March 19, 2024 Nahlah was playing with her toy, the toy which she was playing with contained lithium button batteries. While playing with the toy she some how ended up swallowing the batteries. Her parents noticed weird breathing noises and cries which she would not normally do. Because of these signs her parent’s rushed to call an ambulance and in the hospital it was later discovered that she had swallowed a button battery. The battery lodged in her esophagus which caused a severe reaction and burned through the coating of the esophagus and made a hole. The hole cause internal bleed which made her pass away. She was later pronounced dead on March 19 2024. This shows how serious swallowing one of these batteries can be.

If a child swallows one of these batteries there is a much severe risk of burning than an adult. This is because of the child's smaller enclosed esophagus which lets the battery easily get stuck in the esophagus. While for us older people our esophagus's are more developed and are wider which would let the battery slip right through and it wouldn't cause much harm. For us older people there is still a chance that the battery slides through and burns through our organs. which is a much slighter chance of that happening. But if a child swallows some of these then call the emergency services immediately and try also try to feed the child a spoonful of honey every 1o minutes some resources say. But remember to not encourage throwing up the battery as it can cause further damage and can cause airway blockage. If an adult swallows one and feels the same symptoms then call emergency services and don't follow the same remedy as it wont help due to a wider esophagus.

The manipulated variable or the stuff that was purposely changed were the sizes of the button batteries. The drops of saliva were also changed because they were placed according to the size of the battery in the esophagus.

The responding variable in this experiment was to see the severity of the burn from different button battery sizes. To measure the severity of the burns I got the diameter of each burn and found the area and circumference of the burn. I made graphs comparing the burns for different button battery sizes. All of the measurements were made with a classic ruler and they were noted down at correct times. They were all written down in Centimeters and Centimeters squared.

The brand / type of containers were all purchased from Dollorama, The size, type, and brand of chicken strip were all Zabiha Halal, The voltage of the button batteries were all 3V, The place/ environment of where the experiment was done in the same house and area, The brand of the button battery were all Powerfist, All the batteries were brand new having there max capacity of energy.

1. Get 3 equal pieces of any thin slices of meat (Preferably Bacon or Salami).

2. Place each piece of meat into a separate container.

3. Place a button battery of a different size (ranging from largest to smallest) in each container, with the negative side facing down, on top of each piece of meat.

4. Squirt a drop of saliva on each piece using a pipette or syringe.

5. Fold each chicken strip over and make sure the container is tightly closed.

6. Check on the experiment at different times ranging from 20 minutes - 3 hours.

7. Measure the diameter of the burn mark each time you check, using a ruler. Be sure to measure it at least three times for accuracy.

8. With the information of the diameter of the burn find the area of it and create a graph and table stating the diameter, area, and circumference .

9. When your done the experiment, clean the area nicely and properly while disposing everything in right ways. Repeat the experiment 3 times in total for accuracy.

Materials

3 Equal Pieces of Thin Zabiha Halal Chicken Strips

Syringe

Saliva in tube

3 Same Containers

Large 3V button battery (2450)

Medium 3V button battery (2032)

Small 3V button battery (1620)

Calculator ( To find area of burned area.)

Note pad ( To note observations )

Ruler

Big tweezers

Small tweezers

Ring Light ( Lighting for pictures )

Mini Flash Light

Some major findings or observations was that the smell of the experiment or workplace was very bad and let of a meaty, acidic smell. The chemical reaction was very sever between the esophagus (chicken strip) and the button battery acid. I also noticed how on the first trial that the small battery had significant growth in burns. The medium batteries burn on the second trial wasn't big but it let out lots of acid compared to the other trials. There was also a light burn hole between the large button battery and the chicken strip on the third trial. Something that I made sure was that all of the containers were on a flat surface so the batteries would not move at all.

While analyzing the data from my experiment, I discovered that the larger battery caused the biggest burns, which supported my hypothesis. This happened because the larger battery had more surface area, allowing it to burn through the esophagus (chicken strip) more effectively. However the medium sized battery caused the most severe damage per unit size. Meaning it released a lot of acid making the burn look worse and more unpleasant. Overall the experiment showed that bigger batteries cause larger burns due to their surface area and acid capacity but one surprising result was that the burn caused by the small battery grew larger than I expected during the last hour of the experiment. This shows that even if you child swallows the smallest button battery it can still cause harm.

In conclusion, this experiment supported my hypothesis that larger button batteries cause more severe burns in a child’s esophagus than smaller ones. As the size of the battery increased it had a larger surface area which led to worse burns. Surprisingly the medium sized battery released the most acid per unit size. This shows that the size of the button battery plays a big role in the damage it can cause. It’s important to keep children safe from swallowing these batteries because even smaller batteries can still be harmful.

Future Applications

In the future, I can make several changes or additions to my project. First I could add more types of button battery sizes to see how each one affects the burn. I could also extend the experiment for a longer period of time to observe how the burns change or grow over time. Another change I could make is using different liquids like honey instead of saliva, to see if it might prevent the button battery from burning the esophagus. I could also use pH strips to measure the acidity instead of the dimensions which would give me more accurate data than just looking at the size of the burn.

Real Life Applications

This information can be very useful in real life whether you are a parent, doctor, or a scientist. For parents it can help them understand the dangers of button batteries and keep them out of a child's reach. It’s also important for parents to make sure their child isn’t chewing on harmful objects which might contain these batteries. For doctors the findings can help them understand how button batteries affect the inside of a patients body. For scientists this research can help them learn more about how the esophagus reacts to burns from batteries. and helping them to create better treatments. By finding consumable ingredients the scientist can make a honey like fluid protecting the child esophagus so it can coat the layer of the esophagus and also be resistant to the chemical reaction.

Sorces of error

In this experiment I never experienced any sources of error except one main one. The one source of error was that at first some of the calculations looked off but after i redid them then they looked more accurate and were correct. There was no other major sources of error other then some small spills or being a minute or 2 over time to check on the batteries. But in the future I can improve on this project in different aspects like checking on them more often or having more button battery sizes.

Future Applications

In the future, I can make several changes or additions to my project. First I could add more types of button battery sizes to see how each one affects the burn. I could also extend the experiment for a longer period of time to observe how the burns change or grow over time. Another change I could make is using different liquids like honey instead of saliva, to see if it might prevent the button battery from burning the esophagus. I could also use pH strips to measure the acidity instead of the dimensions which would give me more accurate data than just looking at the size of the burn.

Resources / Acknowledgements

1. National Library Of Medicine

Article Title: Button battery ingestion in children a potentially catastrophic event of which all radiologists must be aware

2. Poison Control

Article Title: Button Batteries…They Look Innocent

3. First Aid For Life

Article Title: Know the dangers of button batteries

4. Dr Karan Rajan

Video Title: What to do if someone swallows a button battery.

5. Beacon Journal

Article Title: Tallmadge 2-year-old died from swallowing button battery

6. Philadelphia Children's Hospital

Article Title: Lithium “Button” Batteries

7. Electronics Weekly

Article Title: Nice button battery information.

8. Science Direct

Article Title: Hazardous effects due to alkaline button battery ingestion: An experimental study

The information I used in this project were all mentioned in the resources page. I used Dr Karan Rajan’s info for getting the idea for this experiment and project. The video which can be found on his channel as a short showed what would happen if the battery was swallowed and in the video there was a similar experiment done. For the other resources I used them for research and surveys which were related to the project. I used poison control to dig deep in what creates the chemical reaction between the battery and esophagus and learning about sodium hydroxide. I also watched the video from the first aid for life website and saw how fast the rection can happen. From NLM I used surveys which were recorded by them about how much batteries were swallowed and the amount of deaths during a certain time period. From Beacon Journal I used the news report of the 2 year old that swallowed the button battery.