Warning Out on Flashing Finger Ring Toys with Tiny Button Cell Batteries
21 August 2024, Quezon City. Cute and cheap light-up rings sold to children may contain easily removed button cell batteries, which can pose choking and ingestion hazards and cause internal chemical burns.
The toxics watchdog group EcoWaste Coalition raised the alarm after examining the China-made “Flashing Finger Ring” toys that it purchased for P130 per pack of 30 pieces from a toy wholesaler in Binondo, Manila. Also called “ring light,” this toy is often re-sold for P10 each by toy retailers and ambulant vendors operating outside public elementary schools.
The ring light contains three tiny LR41 button cell batteries measuring 5 millimeters each. The batteries are not securely fastened and can be easily accessed and dislodged by a child without the use of any tool.
Young children may play with unsecured button cell batteries and accidentally put them in the mouth and pose choking and ingestion hazards and internal chemical burns, particularly in the digestive tract, the EcoWaste Coalition said. Kids may also by accident put the tiny batteries in the nose and ears.
The ingestion of button cell batteries is among the top 10 leading causes of poisoning in 2023 among in-patient referrals (pediatric cases) in the Philippines, according to the National Poison Management and Control Center (NPMCC).
To prevent choking and ingestion hazards and internal chemical burns, the EcoWaste Coalition urged consumers to 1) refrain from buying toys with button cell batteries that are not safely stored; 2) ensure that button batteries in children’s toys and gadgets are duly secured with a screw; and 3) not allow children to handle, install and play with button batteries.
The EcoWaste Coalition will alert and request the FDA to act against the potentially hazardous “Flashing Finger Ring” toys, noting that regulatory authorities in the USA and Australia have issued notices against toys with easily dislodged button cell batteries.
Last August 1, 2024, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the recall of 4,100 units of light-up jelly ring toys due to violation of the mandatory federal battery-operated toy regulation. Consumers were advised to stop using the recalled toys, to take them away from children and to contact the seller for instructions on proper disposal and refund.
On November 1, 2023, the Consumer and Business Services of South Australia published a safety warning notice regarding potentially unsafe light-up rings containing button cell batteries, which pose a serious hazard to children. (PR)
Reference:
https://www.cbs.sa.gov.au/documents/public-warnings/Light-up-rings-safety-warning-notice.pdf
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