title: Safe Energy Source in Battery-operated Toys for Children.
abstract: Serious and even fatal consequences of disk batteries ingestion in children are well known. Among other applications, disk batteries are used to power small toys, from which they can be unexpectedly extracted and swallowed.
  
  
  
  We tested a new cell intended for little toys (green cell [GC]), after 6 and 12 hours of in vitro close contact with esophageal swine mucosa. The GC was compared with lithium and silver button batteries under the same experimental conditions.
  
  
  
  Tissues in contact with the GC did not show pH variations nor histological alterations after 6 and 12 hours. In such conditions, statistically significant differences were found between the GC and the lithium and silver batteries.
  
  
  
  So far, multidisciplinary medical effort has been driven to both emergency approach and subsequent operative strategies in children with ingested batteries. Our trial demonstrates the possibility to primarily prevent battery-induced damages by designing new-generation safe cells with no tissue toxicity to power little toys intended for children.
authors.affiliation: *National Society of Maritime Rescue †G. Gaslini Institute, Gastroenterology and digestive endoscopy, Genoa ‡BlueThink SpA §Politecnico di Milano, Laboratory of Biological Structure Mechanics ||Anatomy and Histology Department, Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Alfredo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vignola
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Nason
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Boschetti
authors.forename: Manuela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bramerio
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bailini
authors.forename: Giordano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pinarello
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004435:Eating; D011211:Electric Power Supplies / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000071041:Esophageal Mucosa / Q000293:injuries* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D010988:Play and Playthings / Q000293:injuries*; D012449:Safety; D013552:Swine