4 ms·

Maybe a (partial) solution would be to make the batteries taste bad? Some coating on the outside that makes them taste immediately revolting and increases th

by yarone 11y ago

Maybe a (partial) solution would be to make the batteries taste bad? Some coating on the outside that makes them taste immediately revolting and increases the likelihood of they'll be spit out

sandworm101 11y ago
For it to taste bad quickly enough such a coating would have to be water soluble. Something like that, on a battery, is asking for trouble. No battery company wants a reputation for destroying electronics. And heaven help those with in-ear hearing aids once that noxious coating gets a little wet and drips into their ear canal.
- Gracana 11y ago
  > For it to taste bad quickly enough such a coating would have to be water soluble. I question that.. There are some pretty powerful bitterants available for this sort of thing. You don't need much denatonium benzoate to make something unpleasant to taste, for example: "Dilutions of as little as 10 ppm are unbearably bitter to most humans." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denatonium https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denatonium
  - sandworm101 11y ago
    But isn't denatonium benzoate water soluble? Using that as a coating on batteries would make for a rather unappealing product. You wouldn't enjoy opening the package or handling the things with bare hands. Children's toys would be ruined by the smell.
    - Gracana 11y ago
      Oh, yeah I guess you're right, it's water soluble. I was thinking more "hygroscopic" when you talked about it ruining electronics, but I guess you just meant that if it got wet it would cause the device to have bitterant all over it forever. I don't think it necessarily needs to be that messy. It has no smell, and you can buy nail polish that contains the stuff (used to deter nail biting and thumb sucking), so apparently it can be painted on in a fairly durable fashion. Just a dot on the battery case ought to do it.

4 ms·

Maybe a (partial) solution would be to make the batteries taste bad? Some coating on the outside that makes them taste immediately revolting and increases th

by yarone 11y ago

Maybe a (partial) solution would be to make the batteries taste bad? Some coating on the outside that makes them taste immediately revolting and increases the likelihood of they'll be spit out

sandworm101 11y ago
For it to taste bad quickly enough such a coating would have to be water soluble. Something like that, on a battery, is asking for trouble. No battery company wants a reputation for destroying electronics. And heaven help those with in-ear hearing aids once that noxious coating gets a little wet and drips into their ear canal.
- Gracana 11y ago
  > For it to taste bad quickly enough such a coating would have to be water soluble. I question that.. There are some pretty powerful bitterants available for this sort of thing. You don't need much denatonium benzoate to make something unpleasant to taste, for example: "Dilutions of as little as 10 ppm are unbearably bitter to most humans." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denatonium https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denatonium
  - sandworm101 11y ago
    But isn't denatonium benzoate water soluble? Using that as a coating on batteries would make for a rather unappealing product. You wouldn't enjoy opening the package or handling the things with bare hands. Children's toys would be ruined by the smell.
    - Gracana 11y ago
      Oh, yeah I guess you're right, it's water soluble. I was thinking more "hygroscopic" when you talked about it ruining electronics, but I guess you just meant that if it got wet it would cause the device to have bitterant all over it forever. I don't think it necessarily needs to be that messy. It has no smell, and you can buy nail polish that contains the stuff (used to deter nail biting and thumb sucking), so apparently it can be painted on in a fairly durable fashion. Just a dot on the battery case ought to do it.