Wednesday, June 18, 2014

The Hazards of Button Batteries


I stumbled across this link about a few weeks ago, and was compelled to write about it since I know a lot about batteries.
http://www.emmettsfight.com/

Before I had Miss Claire, I was an Assistant Scientist at a company who specialized in making batteries for the DOD and DOE (Dept. of Defense and Dept. Of Energy). One of the many tasks I had was to create lithium ion and lithium batteries. Some of which were button batteries, also called "coin batteries". Button batteries are just as hazardous as regular batteries (AA or AAA’s), and have the same corrosive and toxic substances in them.

Background Information:
In order to make a battery, you need an anode and cathode, a separator (we won’t get into it, but its basically a thin material that’s put in between the cathode and anode so it doesn't overcharge and kill itself), and an electrolyte. A cathode and anode are 2 materials that are “positive” and “negative” so electrons can be exchanged. The cathode material can consist of carbons and other compounds like Silver Oxide, and Manganese Dioxide. All of these could potentially be toxic to anyone. Here’s the link for the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) of Silver Oxide. It clearly states that if you get it on your skin, it causes irritation and potentially ulcerations. 

Batteries can include Zinc or Lithium for an anode material. From my experience, Lithium is highly volatile. Whenever I made batteries, it had to be in an air sealed box, filled with Argon. If Lithium is exposed to air, it will ignite and if the Lithium is in a battery, it can explode. 

The last substance that I wanted to talk about is the electrolyte. These are nasty, and probably cause the most harm. The 2 main electrolytes for button or coin batteries are Potassium Hydroxide and Sodium Hydroxide. These are very corrosive and are strong base solutions. Sodium Hydroxide is one of the main ingredients in drain cleaner! Check out the MSDS for Potassium Hydroxide.

Now, lets talk about how you put a button battery together. You would think its pretty technical- maybe they use a air sealing technology, welding, or an adhesive so it doesn't break open? That’s sadly not the case. It just snaps together. In some cases, I would use something to add a little pressure, like a clench wrench. But, that’s it. I can’t tell you how many times some of these batteries actually leaked all over the place and started corroding while putting them together.
A photo of a corroding coin battery.
Nasty, right? 
My main reason for writing this is to give parents more knowledge on one of the many common “hidden” items in the house. Hopefully this article can prevent a child from getting hurt. Always check your electronics, and if you think your child could potentially get to it; either store it in a place they can’t, or make sure it’s sealed with heavy duty tape.

Rachel Anne

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