MANILA, Philippines — Trick-or-treaters are forewarned that Halloween costumes and toys powered with button cell batteries may lead to accidental choking and chemical burns that may even result in death.

Toxicity watchdog EcoWaste Coalition issued the warning after purchasing several Halloween themed headbands with unsecured battery covers, posing the risk of ingestion of button batteries especially by children.

Sold for as cheap as P20 per piece, the unlabeled headbands decorated with plastic devil horns, pumpkins and skulls, are widely available in the market and are often worn by kids in Halloween parades and parties, the group said.

“These headbands with blinking or non-flashing lights contain tiny button cell batteries measuring 10 millimeters in compartments that are not screwed shut. Kids may open the case out of curiosity, get hold of the batteries and play with them,” EcoWaste national coordinator Aileen Lucero said.

“A child may accidentally swallow the tiny battery or insert it in her or his ear and nose while playing, causing choking, chemical burns to the throat or stomach or death,” she said.

Lucero cited the case of a three-year-old Skye Ong, a Filipino boy, who unintentionally pushed a button battery into his nostrils in June 2021, and the tragic case of three-year-old Australian girl, Brittney Conway, who died in July 2020 after ingesting a button battery.

Aside from headbands, other Halloween costumes, toys and accessories sold in the market may contain button batteries, the EcoWaste warned.

The EcoWaste stressed a previous warning by the American Academy of Pediatrics, which stated that “when it comes into contact with body fluids, the battery generates a current that produces small amounts of sodium hydroxide, which is lye.”

“If the battery gets stuck somewhere in the body, the lye burns a hole at that spot. Infection usually follows. The result can be serious injury and illness, long-term disability, or even death,” the American Academy of Pediatrics said.

To prevent chemical burns, choking and death due to button battery ingestion, the EcoWaste reminded the public to never buy toys if the button battery compartments can be broken or opened easily.

EcoWaste said that the adults must also ensure that button batteries in children’s products and household items are duly secured with a screw and that button batteries, old or new, are kept out of children’s sight and reach.

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