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PENNIES MINTED AFTER 1982 CAN CAUSE PROBLEMS IF SWALLOWED
CHICAGO -- When a child or pet swallows a penny, the most significant factor in determining whether it's harmless or a health risk is the date on the penny.
In 1982, the U.S. Mint began making pennies of zinc with a copper coating. Ingesting zinc can cause problems ranging from ulcers and anemia to kidney, liver and bone marrow damage, according to Sara M. O'Hara, M.D., assistant professor in pediatric radiology at Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C. Dr. O'Hara presented research on the topic here today at the 84th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).
In 1997, children made more than 21,000 trips to the emergency room after swallowing one or more coins, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. A simple X-ray can show if the coins are causing problems.
"Most pennies will pass through the body quickly and harmlessly, and it would take more than one penny to cause serious damage," Dr. O'Hara noted. "But as in the case of one toddler we X-rayed, a penny that stays in the stomach can cause an ulcer and discomfort within a matter of days. In animals, the problem can be more serious." A 2Ω-year-old boy was brought to Duke University Medical Center after complaining of an upset stomach. A stomach X-ray revealed a small metallic disc with holes in it. "I didn't think it could be a coin because of the holes in it," Dr. O'Hara said. "I thought it must be part of a toy or possibly a grandparent's hearing aid battery."
But it was a penny the boy had swallowed only four days earlier, which had caused an ulcer in his stomach. The penny was removed with an endoscope, a tube that is inserted through the mouth and down the esophagus into the stomach. The ulcer healed within a few days with no further treatment.
The 1989 penny was severely corroded. Curious about its disintegration, Dr. O'Hara and her colleagues bathed 18 pennies in stomach acid: six minted before 1982, which were 95 percent copper and 5 percent zinc, and 12 minted in 1982 or after, which were 97.6 percent zinc and 2.4 percent copper coating.
The stomach acid ate away the copper coating and created holes in the zinc pennies on the second day, and the weight of the coins decreased by 5 percent to 8 percent after seven days. The pre-1982 pennies showed no changes in seven days.
The zinc reacts with stomach acid to form hydrogen gas and zinc chloride, which can lead to ulcers as well as systemic problems. Although typically one penny is not enough to cause systemic damage in a child, it can cause serious systemic problems in a pet, Dr. O'Hara said.
If a child or pet swallows a penny, Dr. O'Hara recommends waiting a day or two and checking the stool for the offending coin. "If the coin does not show up in the stool within two days and the child or pet starts having stomach problems -- potentially even vomiting blood -- an immediate visit to the emergency room or veterinarian is warranted," she said.
Co-authors of a paper on the topic being presented by Dr. O'Hara are Lane F. Donnelly, M.D.; Emil M. Chuang, M.D.; William H. Briner, M.D.; and George S. Bisset III, M.D.
The RSNA is an association of 30,000 radiologists and physicists in medicine dedicated to education and research in the science of radiology. The Society's headquarters are located at 820 Jorie Blvd., Oak Brook, Illinois 60523-2251.
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Copies of 1998 RSNA news releases are available online at http://www.pcipr.com/rsna beginning Monday, Nov. 30.
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