Duracell and EAP join forces to prevent incidents of child ingestion

As the world’s leading battery manufacturer, Duracell has been at the forefront of efforts to make Lithium coin batteries safer. The company has more safety features than any other brand. These include:

• Baby Secure Technology– Duracell batteries are coated with Bitrex®, the most bitter substance in the world, to discourage swallowing from babies and toddlers. Duracell batteries are the only lithium coin cell batteries coated with this substance.
• Tamper-proof packaging– with a double blister to avoid accidental opening.
• On pack warningand engraved warning – added to the batteries themselves.
• Smart safety sticker– must be removed before the battery is inserted to the device, reminding parents to keep the coin batteries secured.

There is more to do though to help reduce the number of ingestion incidents. This is why Duracell has joined forces with the European Academy of Paediatrics to raise awareness of the dangers of battery ingestion even further, among parents, paediatricians and other healthcare professionals.

Research in France and the UK has shown that only 17% of parents are aware of the risk posed by Lithium coin batteries. Therefore, EAP and Duracell are committed to educating parents and making sure that these batteries are safely stored in the home. To that end, the partners have launched the #PowerSafely awareness campaigns across Europe, using creative ways and a range of strategic communications activities to engage parents and caregivers. This campaign urges parents to ensure that common household devices that contain lithium coin batteries are secure.

Meanwhile, a group of EAP experts has also formed a task force to regularly review #PowerSafely to ensure the effectiveness of the campaign as well as to explore how the partners can apply state-of-the-art research on the topic and innovate further to make batteries safer.

Through this partnership, Duracell and EAP are determined to ensure greater prevention, faster diagnosis and more effective treatment to reduce incidents of button battery ingestion across Europe.

The number of lithium coin battery ingestion accidents in households across the globe has grown to an estimated total of 10,000 cases in 2020. More than 50% of all cases occur in Europe.