Button batteries: Major safety fears over Gabba Grand Final freebies

Authorities have raised serious concerns over wristbands that were handed out to 30,000 fans at the AFL Grand Final at the Gabba on Saturday night, with fears the button batteries inside are not properly secured and present a major health risk.

The AFL says it will tell footy fans that attended Saturday’s Grand Final to “immediately dispose of any wristbands that were taken” from the Gabba as the country’s consumer watchdog investigates reports that light-up freebies containing two lithium button batteries offered to the crowd were unsafe.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission warned that early reports suggest the button batteries are not properly secured and they should be disposed of immediately.

Three-year-old girl dies after swallowing battery

Brittney Conway died after swallowing a button battery in July. Picture: Supplied

A spokesman for the AFL said the wristbands were given out to include the 30,000 strong crowd in a “spectacular light show in the historic first ever night AFL Grand Final”, with fans “invited to dispose of the wristbands on departure from the venue”.

“After the Grand Final, the AFL was alerted by Kidsafe QLD to the potential risk to children posed by the exposure of the button batteries in the wristbands,” the spokesman said.

“The AFL is contacting all patrons by text and/or email to request their immediate action to dispose of the wristbands in their outside household bins without exposing the internal batteries and to invite them to obtain further information on button battery safety on the Product Safety Australia website.”

One of the wristbands containing two button batteries issued to fans at the Gabba on Saturday night. Picture: Kidsafe Queensland

The ACCC is currently finalising regulatory options to address the dangers of button batteries which it will present to the Federal Government before the end of 2020.

If the mandatory proposed standard by the ACCC becomes law, supply of these types of products would be an offence.

In Australia, one child a month is seriously injured after swallowing, with some of them sustaining lifelong injuries.

A general view of the crowd is seen during the 2020 AFL Grand Final match between the Richmond Tigers and the Geelong Cats at The Gabba. (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/AFL Photos/via Getty Images)

Button batteries are flat, round batteries with diameters up to 32mm and heights ranging from 1-11mm. They are found in a surprising number of common household items such as toys, remote controls, watches, digital kitchen scales, thermometers and hearing aids.

“Button batteries can be incredibly dangerous, especially for children five years of age and under,” ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard said.

“If swallowed, a button battery can get stuck in a child’s throat and cause a chemical reaction that burns through tissue, causing death or serious injury. They are tiny, shiny and similar in size to some lollies, making them very attractive to young children,” Ms Rickard said.

This weekend the distraught parents of a three year old Gold Coast girl revealed publicly for the first time that their child had died in July after swallowing a battery.

Lorraine and David Conway are calling for urgent regulation of button batteries, after the death of their little Brittney. Summer Steer from the Sunshine Coast was just four years old when she died in 2013.

• If you think a child has swallowed or inserted a button battery, contact the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26 for 24/7 fast, expert advice. You will be directed to an appropriate medical facility that can manage the injury. Prompt action is critical. Do not wait for symptoms to develop.
• Symptoms may include gagging or choking, drooling, chest pain (grunting), coughing or noisy breathing, food refusal, black or red bowel motions, nose bleeds, spitting blood or blood-stained saliva, unexplained vomiting, fever, abdominal pain or general discomfort.
• Children are often unable to effectively communicate that they have swallowed or inserted a button battery and may have no symptoms. If you suspect a child has swallowed or inserted a button battery, you should ask for an x-ray from a hospital emergency department to make sure.
• Keep new and used button batteries out of sight and out of reach of small children at all times – even old or spent button batteries can retain enough charge to cause life-threatening injuries.
• If buying a toy, household device or novelty item, look for products that do not use button batteries at all, such as products powered by other types of batteries or rechargeable products that do not need button batteries to be replaced.
• Examine products and make sure the compartment that houses the button battery is child-resistant, such as being secured with a screw. Check the product does not release the battery and it is difficult for a child to access. If the battery compartment does not close securely, stop using the product and keep it away from children.
• Dispose of used button batteries immediately. As soon as you have finished using a button battery, put sticky tape around both sides of the battery and dispose of immediately in an outside bin, out of reach of children, or recycle safely.
• Tell others about the risk associated with button batteries and how to keep their children safe.