And why do the kids not vomit up these things?  The OP states &quot;here are as many as 6,000 button battery swallowings&quot;.  That number seems low given the prevalence of batteries.  Batteries are batteries and kids are kids.  These chemical reactions seem inevitable once a battery is swallowed.  So why are so many kids getting off without injury?<p>I assume that when the nasty chemistry gets going, the body tried to expel everything.  Our stomaches are very good at reacting that way when things get weird.  I wonder if the minority of kids who suffer horribly injuries are a subset, perhaps those who had been given anti-nausea medication for some other reason.