Major safety concerns raised over light-up wristbands at Taylor Swift concerts

Swifties who attended the Melbourne leg of the Eras Tour have received a worrying safety warning about the LED wristbands many young fans took home with them to remember the night.

Allison Burns has written an open letter to Taylor Swift to warn of the dangers of button batteries. Picture: Tony Gough

Swifties who attended the Melbourne leg of the Eras Tour have received a safety warning about the LED wristbands many young fans took home as memorabilia, sparking a change for the remaining Australian concerts.

Consumer Affairs Victoria has conducted a safety test on the LED wristbands distributed at Taylor Swift’s Melbourne concerts after concerns over button battery safety were raised.

A CAV spokesperson said the organisation made contact with the concert organisers, Frontier Touring, after becoming aware of the concerns.

“We contacted the concert organisers to request a safety test – a safety test was performed and has been confirmed by our product safety inspectors as compliant with the button battery safety standards,” the spokesperson said.

“The product has been deemed compliant with safety standards but out of caution, we have requested the concert organisers contact every individual who attended the Melbourne concerts to inform them about button battery safety.”

As such, Swifties who attended Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concerts in Melbourne have received a message from Frontier Touring warning them of the risks associated with the LED wristbands distributed at the shows.

Frontier Touring's message to Melbourne attendees over the LED wristbands distributed at Taylor Swift's shows.

It comes after a grieving mother turned button battery safety advocate raised the alarm over the light-up wristbands.

Allison Burns, whose 14-month-old daughter Isabella Rees died after swallowing a button battery in 2015, wrote an open letter to Taylor Swift and Frontier Touring urging them to stop distributing the bands at the concerts.

“The bands contain multiple button batteries that were distributed with no warnings, no adequate medical advice, which are part of our standards,” she told the Herald Sun.

“Over 280,000 attendees in Australia have received a band and need to be made aware that they contain button batteries. They need be provided with the appropriate warnings and medical advice,” she said.

The LED wristbands distributed at Taylor Swift’s Melbourne concerts. Picture: Supplied

According to the standard, manufacturers, importers, wholesalers and retailers of consumer goods that contain button batteries are required to ensure:

- Products have a secure button battery compartment that is resistant to young children and the accidental release of the battery — such as one secured with screws — and has passed compliance safety testing

- Packing and instructions — or the product if supplied unpackaged — clearly warns consumers the product contains a button battery, it is a hazard to children. Advice on what to do if a child swallows a battery is strongly recommended, but not mandatory.

CAV said the batteries in the wristbands are safely secured in a child-resistant plastic compartment – meeting mandatory safety tests.

In a statement, Frontier Touring said that the LED wristbands had been independently tested and verified for compliance with the Consumer Goods (Products Containing Button/Coin Batteries) Safety Standard 2020.

“The LED wristbands for the upcoming Sydney concerts will be distributed with the appropriate warnings and medical advice,” Frontier Touring said.

“A communication will also be sent out shortly to attendees at the Melbourne concerts to advise them that the LED wristbands contain button batteries and the risks associated with this.”

The LED wristband given out at the Taylor Swift concert contains button batteries.

Ms Burns, who has spent nine years advocating for better button battery safety standards through her foundation Bella’s Footsteps, said the distribution of the wristbands was particularly concerning given many young children are attending Taylor Swift’s concerts.

According to Ms Burns, the bands distributed at the Melbourne shows did not meet the safety standards and a breach had occurred.

“The standard includes issuing a button battery warning with medical advice. Well, they didn’t do that,” Ms Burns said.

“There’s meant to be a two step mechanism with anything containing a button battery. The majority of the time it is a screw, sometimes it’s an Allen key. This particular device doesn’t have either,” she said.

She raised the alarm ahead of the Sydney concerts to warn attendees of the potential dangers posed by the wristbands. An estimated 300,000 people are set to attend Swift’s Accor Stadium concerts across four nights.

If swallowed, a button battery can become stuck in a child’s throat and cause serious injuries or even death.

When a battery is swallowed, a chemical reaction occurs that burns through tissue and seriously injures vital organs. Severe burns can occur within two hours of ingestion.

An experiment shows the damage a button battery can cause in just two hours. Picture: David Geraghty

In Australia, three children have died from inserting or ingesting these batteries.

An ACCC spokesperson said that it was aware of concerns raised in relation to the wristbands and is liasing with CAV.

“All businesses, including manufacturers, importers, distributors and retailers, involved in the supply chain for button batteries or products powered by them must comply with the mandatory button battery safety and information standards,” it said.

The organisation added that the onus is on the business to recall a product that is unsafe.

“The ACCC does not issue voluntary recalls. If a supplier finds that a product they supply is unsafe, we expect the supplier to follow our guidelines and recall the product voluntarily and remove it from the market.

“Businesses are responsible for resolving safety issues with products they sell to consumers, such as through honouring obligations under the consumer guarantee provisions, or conducting a voluntary recall,” the ACCC said.

Consumers who suspect a child has swallowed or inserted a button battery, should contact the 24/7 Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26 for fast, expert advice. Consumers are urged to get help immediately and not wait for symptoms to develop.

ALLISON BURNS’ FULL OPEN LETTER

Letter from Alison Burns to Taylor Swift about the button batteries used in her wrist bands.