A renowned Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) surgeon from Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr. K. A. Boateng says disk batteries pose one of the biggest ENT threats to children.

Disk batteries are small coin-shaped batteries used in calculators, watches, toys, musical greeting cards, and hearing aids, amongst other devices.

In an interview on Prime Morning with Asieduwaa Akumia, he spoke about how parents should be more cautious about the toys they allow their children to play with and explained how they are not only a choking hazard, but if put in the ear, the battery can leak onto the sensitive tissue in and around the ear, causing harm to the child.

“The electrical discharge and the leakage of the alkaline into the tissues around and other things cause damage. So for the ear something like a disk battery, once it is identified, it is an emergency we need to take it out”, he said.

The surgeon warned especially those with little children at home, about the long-term effects of this hazard such as hearing impairment.

He mentioned how if swallowed it can get stuck in the oesophagus and be a choking hazard or it can leak its content into the oesophagus and damage multiple tissues, bursting the food pipe.

“Eventually, if it stays too long, it bursts the oesophagus, that is the pipe that food goes through. The moment your child’s oesophagus bursts, it’s a very dangerous situation and that can take about three hours to happen, especially if the battery is new. So it’s important to monitor little children when they are playing.”

He equally advised that parents shouldn’t try to cure their children by trying to induce vomiting as it may complicate the situation.

“So your child has swallowed something, whatever thing, don't attempt to induce vomiting as a way of having to get it out. Some of them may give their child palm oil or something to drink in an attempt to throw up and then bring it out. That's a danger because in your attempt to make your child throw up and all, a child could inhale and whatever that is coming out can go into the airway and that's a dangerous situation. Your child will become very sick aside from the fact that that thing will not even come out, in addition, your child now develops pneumonia and other things,” he alerted.

He appealed to parents and guardians not to leave children playing unattended and to be careful of the toys their children play with and to make sure that none of them will give easy access to the batteries in the toy.