Paramedics send 64 children to hospital in mass button battery scare at Sunshine Coast childcare centre

More than 60 children have been taken to hospital amid a mass button battery scare at a Queensland childcare centre.

A broken toy was found with an unknown number of missing button batteries at the Sunshine Coast childcare centre about 10.35am on Wednesday.

Staff immediately contacted emergency services.

Paramedics assessed 64 children, aged between two and five, before liaising with Queensland Health to organise X-rays at various health facilities across the Sunshine Coast — to avoid a mass influx of young patients at one facility.

Concerned parents were then called in to take their children to the designated facilities for tests.

Queensland Ambulance Service senior operations supervisor James Mayfield said it was a “complex case” as paramedics were unable to identify if all button batteries were accounted for.

“There was still some risk that potentially we hadn’t located all the button batteries,” Mayfield said.

“The decision was made that all children involved who could have been exposed to the hazard needed to have an assessment and an X-ray.”

The toy was believed to have been brought into the centre by a child.

Staff organised for a metal detector to sweep the yard where the broken toy was found for any missing batteries.

Button batteries are common in many household items, including children’s products, and can cause serious harm or even death in young children if swallowed.

Symptoms include abdominal pain, chest pain as well as gastrointestinal bleeding.

In July 2020, three-year-old Queensland girl Brittney Conway died three weeks after ingesting a button battery, prompting warnings and calls for bans from parents and health experts.

Mayfield said because of the seriousness of the situation, paramedics ultimately took “no risk and no chance” when it came to assessing all 64 children.

“We are pleased to confirm that all children have now been assessed and no cases of ingestion have been reported,” Mayfield said.

“I commend the facility’s promptness in involving us in the case, they had a focus on the children’s safety throughout.”

Mayfield said the incident comes as a timely reminder for parents to identify potential dangers around the home.

“If a parent or anyone thinks their child has swallowed a button battery, it’s a life-threatening emergency — you need to immediately seek medical attention,” he said.