The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is taking aim at the small batteries that are common in kids toys by implementing better labeling and testing for products using these batteries. 

The CPSC wants manufacturers to add warning labels and conduct more rigorous stress-testing on products that have button-cell and coin-cell batteries. These batteries have led to more than 70,000 emergency room visits in the US between 2010 to 2019, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Most of these ER visits come after a child has swallowed the battery (90%), while kids inserting them into their nose (5.7%), ear (2.5%) or mouth (1.8%) account for the remaining battery-related emergencies. 

The CPSC—an independent agency in the US government that promotes consumer safety and develops product standards—released its detailed proposal last week. The document includes mockups of what hazardous warning labels warning could look like, cautioning that death can occur if the batteries are swallowed. 

The proposed rule is open for comment until October 15, 2024. After that, the CPSC will issue its final mandatory standards, which will be enforceable under US federal law. 

Companies will need to be compliant within about six months after the new standards go into effect (to allow time for third-party testing), the CPSC estimates. But the commission doesn’t expect this change to have a significant impact on small businesses, beyond a one-time packaging redesign cost and the cost of changing components to make a product safer.