Amazon Finger Light Recall Exposes Deadly Button Battery Risk

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has announced a recall of 179,739 children’s “Finger Flashlights” imported by California-based Cade California Electronic. The unbranded toys were sold on Amazon from March 2015 through July 2026 for between $5 and $16 per package.

Each package contains 50 multi-colored plastic finger lights designed to slip onto a user’s fingers. The individual lights are white, blue, red, and green, while the cardboard boxes display the text “California Cade Electronic” and “Finger Flashlights” on the front.

The recalled toys contain three button cell batteries inside a simple plastic casing. Federal regulators say the battery compartments can be easily opened by children, exposing batteries that create risks of ingestion, chemical burns, and death. The CPSC confirmed that no injuries or medical incidents have been reported to date in connection with these specific toys.

Under ASTM F963, the Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Toy Safety, any toy containing batteries intended for children under 12 years of age must have a secured battery compartment. Opening it must require a tool, such as a screwdriver or coin, or at least two independent and simultaneous hand movements. The recalled finger lights did not meet those requirements.

The danger can develop quickly when a small coin or button cell battery becomes lodged in a child’s esophagus. Its active electrical current reacts with saliva and moisture in the tissue, creating hydroxide ions and a highly alkaline solution, essentially lye, rather than simply leaking battery acid.

That alkaline reaction causes liquefactive necrosis. It can burn through the esophageal wall, trachea, or adjacent major blood vessels in as little as two hours. Injuries may lead to lifelong medical complications, extensive surgeries, or death.

The toys’ availability for more than a decade also reflects the difficulties safety agencies face in monitoring third-party inventory on massive e-commerce platforms. Tracking and enforcing compliance across thousands of imported, low-cost toy listings remains an ongoing challenge.

Safety officials are urging consumers to take the toys away from children immediately and contact Cade California Electronic for instructions on receiving a full refund. The CPSC said removed button cell batteries must be disposed of or recycled according to local hazardous waste regulations, not placed in standard household trash where they could remain accessible to children or pets.