Apple added a new danger message on all your AirTags given the serious damage that can occur if someone ingests the button battery inside.
Now AirTag boxes will appear a new message warning parents to keep the accessory out of reach of children due to the risk of ingesting the batteries they contain. In addition, this message will also appear inside the battery compartment so that when changing it they are aware of the danger. For models already sold and that do not have this warning, Apple will display the message in the search application when we are told that we need to change the battery.
Ingesting button batteries constitutes a serious health risk that can lead to serious consequences, including death in the most severe cases. The chemical reactions they trigger within the digestive tract cause severe burns that can perforate the stomach or intestine, and can occur in less than two hours. Any button cell battery is dangerous, but larger ones are even more dangerous.which are now most common in electronic devices, such as AirTags. In addition to burns, their size can cause them to get stuck in the esophagus.
This may seem like a rare problem, but it happens more often than you think. In many cases, the safety systems of the covers where the batteries are located are not sufficiently secure, in fact 61.8% of children under 6 years old who ingested a button battery had removed the cover before ingesting it. Like in toys, where the covers have a screw so they can be removed, electronic devices in general should include a safety mechanism that requires a tool to remove it. But in the meantime, if this happens, the only thing we can do is to prevent it from happening, and for this the Spanish Association of Pediatrics offers these recommendations on its website:
- Keep button batteries and items containing them (remote controls and other items containing button batteries) out of the reach of children.
- Make sure the battery cover is securely closed and, if damaged or broken, make sure it is properly closed (e.g. with strong tape).
- Do not leave button batteries, including used and recyclable batteries, loose on any surface.
- Do not let children play with button batteries.
