New Zealand design to cut lethal risks of swallowed batteries

A simple layer of food coloring on the button-like lithium batteries

that power toys and other household gadgets could save the lives of

countless infants around the world, a New Zealand researcher said

Thursday.

"If a child swallows a battery it will immediately

stain their mouth, so that caregivers know what has happened and can

seek medical treatment immediately," Victoria University design lecturer

Jeongbin Ok said in a statement.

The batteries could cause

serious harm or death if a child is not treated within two hours of

swallowing one, but often adults only suspect a child has ingested a

battery when the child becomes ill.

Ok's invention, developed

with a major battery producer, involved applying a thin layer of highly

concentrated food coloring, which could be activated by saliva, to the

surface of button batteries during production.

Mass production was expected to begin early next year.

"I hope that once the product is commercialized, it will become an industry standard," he said.

Ok was also working on new packaging technology to keep loose batteries

secure and provide a safe way to dispose of used batteries.