The British Standard Institute (BSI) published a national standard PAS 7055:2021 for button (non-lithium) and coin (lithium) batteries on April 30, 2021. The standard was developed in accordance with the provisions of The General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (GPSR) and concerns safety of product that is placed on the British market.

PAS 7055:2021 “Button and coin batteries. Safety requirements. Specification” specifies safety requirements for button and coin batteries up to 32 mm in diameter. It also establishes the requirements to manufacturers of batteries, manufacturers of consumer products containing batteries, distributors, related importers, retailers, and consumers.  It also contains requirements for labelling, instructions, and packaging.

PAS 7055:2021 does not cover:

• Disposal and recycling from an environmental perspective
• Batteries for professional and industrial use
• Aspects already covered in existing standards

In this standard, the BSI drew attention to the safety of children as the button batteries can be ingested or inserted in the body orifices and cause serious injuries. The main hazard is considered to be chemical burn as a reaction on the contact with the body tissues.