Batteries can leak, overheat and rupture - causing chemical burns to your kids

Your household batteries, those cylindrical little storehouses of power which come in various sizes, look harmless and in fact safe enough what with their gleaming metal casing and all, right?

These batteries can leak, over-heat and rupture. When this happens, corrosive liquid can cause chemical burns to children.
 

That is why it is imperative that children should not be allowed to install the batteries in their toys themselves. This is because if a battery is put in backwards or reversed (that is, positive end where the negative end belongs and vice versa), it can overheat and rupture. There have been cases where this had happened when young children installed batteries backwards.

Parents and guardians should therefore warn children against taking out or installing the batteries for their toys themselves. This task as well as the installing of batteries in household appliances should be left to the adults.

Household batteries can also overheat and rupture if you use alkaline and carbon-zinc batteries together in the same appliance or if you mix old batteries with new freshly-charged ones in the same appliance. Therefore, always use a complete set of new batteries of the same type when replacing batteries.

If you try to recharge a battery that's not intended to be recharged (that is, not rechargeable), the battery can overheat and rupture. If you have a rechargeable battery, be sure to use the proper battery charger intended for the size and type of battery you have.