Musical cards dangerous for young children

Musical holiday cards may be popular this season, but officials at the Montreal Children’s Hospital warn parents the cards may also pose a threat to young children.

Batteries can easily be ripped off a card by young children, who are often tempted to swallow them or put them in their noses or ears, officials said.

After coming into contact with bodily fluids, the chemicals can leak within hours, causing serious damage, they said.

Dr. Sam Daniel, an ear, nose and throat specialist at the hospital, said each case he has dealt with had some form of long-term complication.

The esophagus is especially vulnerable, he said.

"It can lead to perforation over time and it can be deadly if you perforate your swallowing pipe," Daniel said. "You develop nasty infections in the chest."

The batteries can also damage the ear, Daniel said.

"Some of the complications you see with that are hearing loss or stenosis of the canal," Daniel said. The ear drum can be destroyed "just from the alkali in the battery, which is much more corrosive than acid, damaging the tissue and the body."

Similar batteries are also used in many types of small toys, Daniel said.

Parents should not try to remove a battery from a child’s ear, nose or throat unless it is easily accessible, Daniel said. It is easy to cause more damage if you don’t know what you are doing.

Daniel said more than 3,000 children are reported to have swallowed batteries every year in the United States.