Latest news with #chokinghazard
The Sun
30-05-2025
- General
- The Sun
Mum shares heartbreaking photo of baby boy fighting for life as a warning – after she found him coughing and drooling
A TODDLER was left "coughing up black chunks" then fighting for life after swallowing a button battery from a remote control. The tiny disc got lodged in 16-month-old Asa Allen's throat while he was playing outside with his two siblings. 11 Mum Kasey Allen, 32, who had travelled to visit her husband in Texas, United States, was cleaning the family campervan at the time. She found the camera remote on the floor in pieces and noticed a flushed Asa coughing and drooling 30 minutes later. Thinking he was simply a bit tired, the wedding photographer put the youngster down for a nap. But Kasey says when he woke up he appeared worse and started "coughing up black chunks". Concerned, the mum called a nurse friend who urged her to rush Asa to hospital. Asa had an X-ray at a local health centre, which revealed a button battery was lodged near his collarbone. He was referred to Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, where the battery was fished out from his oesophagus around nine hours after he swallowed it before he was put on a ventilator for six days. Kasey is sharing what happened to Asa, now three, in October 2023 as a stark warning to other parents. The parent, from Monroe, Louisiana, said: "He found a camera remote, which was mounted on the steering wheel. "I was in and out [of the campervan] but I never saw him get the remote. I then saw it lying on the floor in four pieces. The 19 surprising choking hazards in your home that are as dangerous as button batteries "I don't know exactly when he swallowed it but it was around 30 minutes after I found the remote that his symptoms started." She described her son as "really flushed and fatigued", adding: "He had started coughing a lot and salivating. "I thought, 'What has happened to you?'" 'It was like a punch in the gut' Kasey put a "tired" Asa down for a nap, but got the shock of her life when he woke up. "His symptoms were worse," she said. "He started coughing up black chunks of the battery coating and I thought, 'Oh my God, his insides are coming out, something is wrong'. "I called my friend who was a nurse practitioner and she asked me if he had access to a button battery. "I said he had dropped a remote and maybe there was one in there, and she told me to take him to the emergency room right away. "Doctors did the X-ray and he had swallowed a battery, which was lodged between his collarbone. "From there, they transported us to a bigger hospital and they needed three doctors to get it out. "By this time my husband was researching button batteries and I thought my son was going to die. "I was shocked, I couldn't even move, I really felt numb. It was like a punch in the gut." 11 11 11 After struggling to remove the battery from Asa's oesophagus, they eventually managed to get it out. "He came out [of surgery] and that was very scary for me to see because he did look dead," Kasey said. "He wasn't moving and he had a thousand tubes going in him." Asa had to do "a lot of physiotherapy" and learn how to swallow and chew again due to the damage from the button battery, which caused his oesophagus to shrink to just 0.1in (3mm). In November, the tot had reconstructive surgery on his oesophagus and was hospitalised for five weeks due to a leak from the organ. A year and a half on from his ordeal, Asa is fully healed and able to eat again. But Kasey, who has banned all button batteries from her house, wants to ensure all mums and dads keep electronics with them away from their kids. She said: "Please watch out for button batteries. "I don't have them in my house anymore. We don't even have toys with them as it's not worth a life. "Make sure everything is screwed in if something has one. I don't want what happened to Asa to happen to another kid. "It was a really scary time but I'm glad we're finally on the other side of it. "We got to keep him with us so we're very grateful." What to do if your child swallows a button battery BUTTON batteries - also known as coin batteries - are small, flat, circular batteries used to power everything from watches to calculators, remote controls to car keys, and electronic toys to LED lights. They can cause severe problems if swallowed. Great Ormond Street Hospital says: "The problems caused by button batteries are not usually due to chemicals leaking from the battery but because the battery itself reacts with bodily fluids, such as mucus or saliva. "This creates a circuit to release a substance like caustic soda, which is a strong alkali that can burn through tissue. "An alkaline substance is at the opposite end of the pH scale to an acid but is just as dangerous. "Even 'dead' batteries have the potential to release the alkali so should be treated just as carefully as new batteries." If a child has swallowed a button battery, they might: Vomit fresh, bright red blood Cough, gag or drool a lot Appear to have an upset stomach or virus Vomit Point to their throat or tummy Say they have pain in their tummy, chest or throat Be tired or lethargic Be quieter or more clingy than usual, or otherwise 'not themselves' Lose their appetite Not want to or be unable to eat solid food If you think your child has ingested a button battery, take the following steps: Go straight to A&E Tell a doctor Take the battery packaging or product with you Don't let them eat or drink Don't make them sick It's important to get medical help as soon as possible. "The button battery may have caused significant damage to the lining of the child's oesophagus (foodpipe) – in some cases it may have burned through the oesophagus completely to form a hole," GOSH adds. "This may create a passage (fistula) between the oesophagus and the trachea (windpipe). It may also have damaged the vocal cords. "It may have burned through the blood vessels in the chest area, including the aorta (main blood vessel leading from the heart)." She added: "Asa had so much scarring. He couldn't eat real food, he would throw it up. "His oesophagus had shrunk down 0.1in (3mm); for his age it should be around 0.5in (12mm). "In November, he had reconstructive surgery. We were meant to be in hospital for five days but ended up staying for five weeks because there was a leak from his oesophagus. "It is now at 0.6in (15mm) and he is able to eat. "He's made amazing progress. He had never swallowed anything like that before - he wasn't even putting things in his mouth, which kids his age tend to do. "The first thing he put in his mouth was a button battery." 11 11 11 11 11
The Sun
18-05-2025
- Health
- The Sun
Mum issues urgent warning to other parents after her daughter narrowly avoids choking on 40p Tesco fruit drink
A MUM has issued an urgent warning to other parents after her two-year-old daughter narrowly avoided a choking disaster while drinking a 40p Tesco fruit drink. Molly explained that her two-year-old loves the Fruit Splash drinks - a dupe of the popular Robinsons Fruit Shoots - from the supermarket, especially when it's warm outside. 4 4 4 However, when her daughter was drinking one of the squashes, a small plastic ring that had been in the lid fell out. Luckily, the bottle was in a position where the ring fell straight out. But it could have been disastrous if her little girl had accidentally swallowed the piece of plastic. So Molly decided to take to TikTok to warn other parents about the choking hazard. "These are normally quite tight and I never worry about them," she said, holding the lid. "But because that happened, when I give her one of these, I make sure that I pull this out now because it's just too much of a risk." While the plastic ring has a huge hole in it, Molly pointed out that if it went down the wrong way, it could get " completely stuck". "So if you get these fruit drinks from Tesco, just be careful that when you buy them or you give them to your child, that the ring is actually stuck in - or just pull it out. "It's better to be safe than sorry," she concluded. The comments section was quickly filled with grateful parents thanking Molly for sharing the warning. "Thank you for sharing this!" one wrote. "I stopped someone in the supermarket like 2 weeks ago just to tell them this," another added. "They also have them in the Sainsbury's ones. "I flick them out every time I get them now!" "Thanks for sharing this. My kids have these all the time," a third admitted. "Oh no! I have these in the fridge right now!" someone else gasped. What to do if someone is choking Mild choking If the airway is only partly blocked, the person will usually be able to speak, cry, cough or breathe, and may be able to clear the blockage themselves. In adults: Encourage them to keep coughing Ask them to try to spit out the object Don't put your fingers in their mouth If coughing doesn't work, start back blows In children: If you can see the object, try to remove it (but don't poke blindly) Encouraging coughing Shout for help if coughing isn't effective or the child is silent Use back blows if the child is still conscious but not coughing Severe choking In adults: Where choking is severe, the person won't be able to speak, cry, cough or breathe. Without help, they'll eventually become unconscious, so you should carry out back blows. In children: Back blows can be carried out on children under one year. If this doesn't work, chest thrusts can be started on kids up to 12 months old, and abdominal thrusts on those over one year. Call 999 if the blockage doesn't come out after trying back blows and either chest or abdominal thrusts. Keep trying this cycle until help arrives. Even if the object has come out, get medical help. Part of the object might have been left behind, or the patient might have been hurt by the procedure. Source: NHS "Definitely going to cut the lid off before he drinks them. Thank you for raising awareness." "Oh I never would've thought of that," another said. "Thank you!!! Why are they designed like that!?" "Thank you, my children drink them always," someone else wrote. "I will be more careful." "This could literally save a life," another added. The bottles from Tesco do actually have a health warning on them, which reads: "Warning: Due to size and shape may present a choking hazard for small children. "Always supervise when eating." 4
Daily Mail
15-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Thousands of popular ice creams recalled over foreign material that could CHOKE customers
Nearly 18,000 ice cream tubs sold nationwide are being recalled over fears they could pose a choking hazard. Wells Enterprises — which makes popular brands like Blue Bunny and Halo Top — issued the recall after it was revealed some tubs contained shards of plastic. The recall is for three-gallon ice cream tubs sold to restaurants, cafeterias and other businesses that offer ice cream on their menus. They were not sold in grocery stores. A wide variety of flavors were affected — including chocolate, vanilla, rocky road and cotton candy. The FDA revealed the recall and marked it as a Class II, meaning consuming the ice creams could cause 'reversible health problems'. No illnesses or injuries have been reported as a result of the ice cream to date. The FDA and Wells Enterprises have notified businesses that sold the ice cream of the recalls via email. The number of states affected by the recall was not revealed. But the ice cream was sent to more than 100 distribution centers, suggesting it affects a large number of states. Of the tubs recalled, vanilla frozen yogurt was the most common flavor — with 5,280. Artificially flavored French Vanilla Ice Cream under the Glenview Farms label was second, with 2,261 tubs recalled, followed by Vanilla Flavored ice cream, with 1,573 tubs. A full view of the flavors recalled was revealed on the FDA's website. It is likely that restaurants have been advised to throw out the ice cream immediately and contact the seller for a full refund. It is not clear how plastic shards got into the ice cream, but it is usually due to a fault during the manufacturing process. It comes after another ice cream recall in January after an undisclosed ingredient was found in the product. The California-based mochi ice cream company issued the recall over the discovery, with its ice creams sold in stores like Target and Wegmans. My Moci recalled 1,350 cases of its Peach Mango Sorbet because they contained undeclared pasteurized egg whites, putting people with allergies at risk. There were at least two reports of 'minor' allergic reactions linked to the sorbets before the recall was issued, the FDA said.
The Sun
14-05-2025
- General
- The Sun
Popular children's toy sold in UK urgently recalled over ‘risk of choking' as parents warned ‘stop using it immediately'
AN URGENT warning has been issued to parents after a popular kid's toy was recalled. Smyths have pulled a magic tricks box from the shelves after a chocking hazard saw it fail to meet safety requirements. 1 The Fantasma Delux Top Hat set comes with a plush rabbit, top hat, cape and over 150 tricks. But there's a risk of the rabbit's nose falling off, which is small enough to become lodged in a child's throat. The product therefore does not meet the requirements of the Toys (Safety) Regulations 2011. A Smyths spokesperson said: "Smyths Toys are voluntarily recalling four batches of Ref.: 198567 Fantasma Magic Set Deluxe due to possible issues with small parts (the eyes of the plush rabbit) detaching too easily. "This may present a choking hazard for younger children." The barcode and item number are 0816344015286 and 198567, respectively. Affected batches include 2401-6009ML-BK, 2406-6009ML-BK, 2407-6009ML-BK, and 2408-6009ML-BK. More information about the recall can be found on the Smyths website under their Product Information section. Shoppers who have the toy are advised to stop using it immediately and away from children. Customers can return the product to their local branch and will be issued a refund. Smyths have a handy store locator which will help direct you to the nearest site. A warning on reads: "The product presents a risk of choking as the plush rabbit's nose may become loose and detach, producing a small part capable of fitting entirely inside of a small parts cylinder. "A young child may put the small part in their mouth and choke. "The product does not meet the requirements of the Toys (Safety) Regulations 2011." This comes after a plush kids toy was urgently recalled after not meeting safety standards last month. The swanky product posed a 'serious' risk of choking to children. And, another popular kids toy sold on Amazon was also recalled over a 'serious risk' of choking. The Togetdream 3D Printed Dinosaur Toy presented "a serious risk of choking as it is supplied with a small part, and is inappropriately labelled", the OPSS said. Shoppers were also warned over a seven-piece toy set for kids sold by Costco in the UK. The Long Handle Hoe and Rake in Stanley Jr. Kids Wheelbarrow and seven-piece Garden Sets have been urgently pulled from shelves. Office for Product Safety and Standards officials confirmed yellow paint on the hoe and rake handles contains "excess concentrations of migratable lead". Health risks of exposure include kidney damage, problems in the circulatory system and developing brains. Your product recall rights Chief consumer reporter James Flanders reveals all you need to know. Product recalls are an important means of protecting consumers from dangerous goods. As a general rule, if a recall involves a branded product, the manufacturer would usually have lead responsibility for the recall action. But it's often left up to supermarkets to notify customers when products could put them at risk. If you are concerned about the safety of a product you own, always check the manufacturer's website to see if a safety notice has been issued. When it comes to appliances, rather than just food items, the onus is usually on you - the customer - to register the appliance with the manufacturer as if you don't there is no way of contacting you to tell you about a fault. If you become aware that an item you own has been recalled or has any safety noticed issued against it, make sure you follow the instructions given to you by the manufacturer. They should usually provide you with more information and a contact number on its safety notice. In some cases, the manufacturer might ask you to return the item for a full refund or arrange for the faulty product to be collected. You should not be charged for any recall work - such as a repair, replacement or collection of the recalled item
