Energizer recently announced the launch of the "Ultimate Child Shield" lithium button battery product line, which it claims is "the world's first to eliminate the risk of burns if swallowed", focusing on the safety of children and pets. This series is currently on sale in the US market. The first batch covers three common specifications of 2032, 2025 and 2016. It is mainly used for small electronic products such as remote controls, wearable devices and trackers including Apple AirTag.
Under normal circumstances, after small button batteries are swallowed by mistake, most of them will pass through the digestive system smoothly and be excreted from the body without causing serious consequences. However, if the battery is stuck in the esophagus and continues to come into contact with saliva, it may generate an electric current, trigger a series of chemical reactions, and cause alkaline tissue burns, which can be life-threatening within a few hours and is far more than just "choking".
Energizer stated in this release that the new Ultimate Child Shield series can prevent the battery from generating electric current in the body after being swallowed, thus avoiding the occurrence of the above dangerous chemical reactions, but the company did not disclose the specific technical mechanism in detail in the external explanation. In addition to this core protection, Energizer also follows the multiple safety designs it has previously adopted on some button batteries, including: using child-resistant packaging that is more difficult to open; covering the surface of the battery with a strong bitter to reduce the possibility of children or pets holding it in their mouths for a long time; and adding food-grade dyes that can dye the mouth blue once the battery comes into contact with saliva, helping parents immediately detect the risk of accidental swallowing.
Energizer emphasizes that the goal of the new product is to "eliminate the risk of serious or life-threatening burns if swallowed", but this does not mean that it can be taken lightly. Officials still recommend that if a battery is accidentally swallowed or suspected—whether by a child or a pet such as a cat or dog—you should seek medical attention immediately and have it examined and treated by a professional medical professional.