Greenspace Childcare Centre: Dozens of children rushed to hospital after mass button battery scare at a Sunshine Coast childcare centre

More than 60 young children under the age of 5 were rushed to hospital for x-rays after a button cell battery defect was reported to their daycare center. All is now back to normal.

On Wednesday, a broken toy was discovered at the Greenspace Childcare Centre in Bli Bli on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, with an unknown number of button cells missing.

Staff immediately called emergency services as there were fears that at least one of the children had swallowed the deadly devices.

It is assumed that the toy in question did not come from the institution, but was brought to the daycare center by a child.

Paramedics assessed 64 children aged between two and five years and arranged with Queensland Health for them to be collected by their parents and taken to hospital.

The children have undergone x-rays and all tests have since come back negative for the dangerous battery. 9 News reported.

“All children have been assessed and there have been no reported cases of ingestion,” a Queensland Ambulance spokesperson said.

The daycare purchased metal detectors to help search for the missing batteries, but nothing was found.

Button cell batteries are found in many household items and are very common in children’s products. If swallowed, it is a ‘life-saving emergency’

The centre staff and parents were praised for their quick action.

“I want to commend the parents for all of this. It would have been a disheartening phone call for the parents to hear what happened, but the daycare was very transparent with them,” said paramedic James Mayfield.

Parents were also very pleased with the way the daycare staff handled the situation.

“Button batteries are not to be messed with… We were getting updates through the app, we were getting phone calls, everything was great,” said parent Tahnee Tuckerman.

In the past decade, three Australian children have died from button cell batteries decomposing.

Three Australian children have died from battery ingestion in the past decade, including Brittney Conway (pictured)

Queensland toddler Brittney Conway was just three years old when she swallowed a button battery in 2020. She died three weeks later.

Mr. Mayfield said: 7 News Because the injuries were so serious, emergency services decided on Wednesday to apply the principle of ‘no risk, no chance’.

The emergency worker said the incident is a good reminder for parents and caregivers to be aware of potential risks in their homes, as batteries can be found in many items, including children’s toys.

Mr Mayfield said swallowing a button battery is a “life-threatening emergency” and parents should seek immediate medical attention.

Symptoms that may occur if someone swallows a button battery include abdominal pain, chest pain, and gastrointestinal bleeding.