Safer Button Batteries Are Here. Why Are Deadly Ones Still Being Sold?
Energizer Ultimate Child Shield batteries prevent burning if swallowed, but every other model on the market can still cause serious injury
As electronic devices keep getting smaller and more ubiquitous in the home, they bring with them more and more button batteries—probably far more than we realize. Button and coin-cell lithium batteries, which can be found inside everything from remote controls to musical greeting cards, pack a lot of power into a tiny disc, usually less than an inch wide. They also pose a severe health risk to anyone who swallows one.
A new type of button battery, introduced to the U.S. market by Energizer in March 2026, eliminates most of the worst risks associated with this product. But not all button cell batteries on the market—not even all of those sold by Energizer—have this new technology.
An Injury-Prevention Breakthrough
Some battery manufacturers, seeing the injury stats rise over the years, have been making their own improvements to their products and packaging. Duracell and Energizer batteries both now feature what they call a nontoxic bitter coating that’s meant to discourage ingestion. Energizer batteries also dye the mouth blue when activated with saliva, to alert caregivers that an ingestion may have occurred.
What Other Battery Companies Are Doing
Energizer has been working on the Ultimate Child Shield technology for well over a decade, according to Curtis of Energizer.
Is similar work underway at other companies? CR contacted top competitors for the same sizes of button battery that Energizer included in its rollout of the Child Shield technology to ask them what they are currently doing to prevent injuries related to battery ingestion. Duracell, Energizer, and Panasonic dominate the market with over 90 percent of the sales, according to CR’s market research.
A spokesperson from Panasonic told us that all of its batteries sold in the U.S. comply with Reese’s Law, and that it also plans to offer coin and button batteries featuring a bitter coating in the U.S. market later this year.
“We are continuing to develop new technologies intended to further mitigate risks associated with accidental ingestion, including research into battery designs that may help delay electrochemical reactions if a battery is swallowed,” says the spokesperson. “Reducing ingestion injuries requires a combination of product design, packaging improvements, clear consumer warnings, and public education. Panasonic Energy remains committed to supporting these efforts globally.”
Duracell button batteries feature the bitter coating that is meant to deter ingestion, which it rolled out in 2020, and the childproof packaging that is required by law but do not have the “color alert” feature that dyes a child’s mouth blue, nor the latest technology that prevents burns when ingested. Rayovac, which is owned by Energizer, has the same bitter coating and color-alert feature as Energizer Child Shield batteries, but Rayovac does not yet have the feature that prevents burns. Cari Curtis from Energizer told CR that it’s the company’s goal to transition all of the batteries in its portfolio to the Ultimate Child Shield technology over time.
Two other button battery competitors, Amazon Basics and Maxell, have neither the blue dye nor the burn-prevention features—though they have the childproof packaging that is now required by Reese’s Law.
Amazon, Duracell, and Maxell did not respond to CR’s questions about whether they were developing or planning to implement any additional safety features in the future.
When asked whether Energizer would consider sharing its patented technology with the rest of the industry, Curtis responded, “We have plenty of Energizer Ultimate Child Shield product to meet consumer demand.”
CR’s safety advocates and experts applaud the industry’s progress thus far and are hopeful that it will continue.
“When innovation and safety go hand in hand, injuries and deaths can be prevented,” says Gabe Knight, a senior policy analyst for product safety at CR. “Now that the bar has been raised, we look forward to seeing how other companies meet the moment with safer-battery advancements of their own.”
If you think someone in your household may have swallowed a battery or put one in an ear or a nose, call the Battery Ingestion Hotline (800-498-8666) or the Poison Help Line (800-222-1222) immediately. Any potential battery ingestion, regardless of the brand, should be treated as a medical emergency.
Symptoms of battery ingestion or insertion can mimic a lot of other common ailments; there might also be no symptoms at all.
