Just passing on an experience with one of the small button/coin/hearing aid type batteries... in this case, a one and a half volt battery.
I have a small pill container where I keep stray small parts, Small screws, nuts and bolts, and assorted bits and pieces of metal that i use for repairs. As I had the contents spilled out on a table to look for a "right size" screw, there were several small button batteries that had been mixed in with the pieces. I didn't see, but heard a sharp "CRACK!" and sensed something going by my face. It was the base part of the small battery. The little tin cap was there on the table, bent. Apparently a small piece of metal or wire or something had crossed the positive and negative terminals. This must have heated the battery and caused this minor explosion.
It never occurred to me that this could happen, and especially with such a small low voltage battery. Not an explosion like a bullet, but certainly enough to injure an eye... In some ways more dangerous than the explosion of a much larger higher voltage battery. Lesson for me? Separate and keep small batteries in a safe place.
I have a small pill container where I keep stray small parts, Small screws, nuts and bolts, and assorted bits and pieces of metal that i use for repairs. As I had the contents spilled out on a table to look for a "right size" screw, there were several small button batteries that had been mixed in with the pieces. I didn't see, but heard a sharp "CRACK!" and sensed something going by my face. It was the base part of the small battery. The little tin cap was there on the table, bent. Apparently a small piece of metal or wire or something had crossed the positive and negative terminals. This must have heated the battery and caused this minor explosion.
It never occurred to me that this could happen, and especially with such a small low voltage battery. Not an explosion like a bullet, but certainly enough to injure an eye... In some ways more dangerous than the explosion of a much larger higher voltage battery. Lesson for me? Separate and keep small batteries in a safe place.