Yesterday a redditor named joshcam posted a photo of a coin cell battery with purple colored dots arranged in three concentric semicircles. They posted:
To the naked eye, these dots are an iridescent, deep purple, the kind of purple you see when you look at a black light.
There are three rows of dots running concentrically around a little bit more than half of the circumference of the battery.
The dots can be scratched off with a razor very easily, not like ink printed onto something. The text in the middle for example "BC", looks like black ink and does not scratch off easily without actually scraping some of the metal off.
I have googled as many combinations as I can think of and nothing useful comes up. "energizer purple dots on coin cell battery battery" etc.
I've never seen these on any coin cell before. What is that thing on this battery?
Commenters were quick to point out that the dots contain a strong dye and a bitter-tasting compound to discourage young children from swallowing the batteries.
Joshcam didn't take commenters for their word. He wanted to try the safety features out for himself.
Interestingly, the purple dot that turns into a very concentrated blue dye is not soluble in isopropyl alcohol at all. I sprayed a little on the battery after trying to use it to wash the dye off of my finger and it doesn't even dissolve the other dots. But a drop of water instantly dissolves. Tap it on your tongue and entire dot colors your tongue a darker blue than anything edible I've ever seen. And is so bitter I can't imagine any kid not spitting it out after putting it in their mouth. The bitterness doesn't linger either, a quick rinse and it's gone.
The New York Times reported on Energizer's Color Alert coating in April:
The new battery was announced in a video last week by Energizer and Trista Hamsmith, whose 18-month-old daughter died after swallowing a button battery from a remote control.
Ms. Hamsmith founded a nonprofit organization focused on children's safety, successfully advocated for legislation, known as Reese's Law, that requires a secure compartment of the batteries in products that use them as well as stronger warning labels on all packaging, and is now working to make the batteries themselves safer.
Ingested coin or button batteries result in thousands of emergency hospital visits each year, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, which notes that "the consequences of a child swallowing a battery can be immediate, devastating and deadly."
"A button cell battery can burn through a child's throat or esophagus in as little as two hours if swallowed," according to the agency.
Previously:
• Scientists create new biodegradable batteries out of crabs
• Cheap, rechargeable AA batteries for high drain applications
