Health Canada Issues Critical Safety Notice and Updates the CCPSA General Prohibition Regarding Button and Coin Batteries

Notice of Danger

On 17 September 2026, Health Canada issued a "Notice of danger to human health or safety and risk mitigation for products containing button or coin batteries and the packaging of button and coin batteries" (the Notice). The Canada Consumer Product Safety Act (CCPSA) and its regulations, according to the Notice, play an important role in helping to prevent such dangers and mitigate suchrisks.

Conformance to Standards is Essential

Based on the danger to human health or safety assessment, Health Canada points out in the Notice that non-compliance with the specified standards (or equivalent) for toys, reclosable/non-reclosable packaging and labels can result in danger to human health or safety.

These standards are effective in mitigating risks by specifying:

• Battery compartment construction requirements
• Performance requirements
• Labelling, marking and instruction requirements
• Child-resistant packaging requirements for button/coin batteries sold alone

Update to CCPSA General Prohibition Table 3

On 18 September 2026, Health Canada also updated Table 3: Determination of dangers to human health or safetyin its Approach to the General Prohibitions under the CCPSA to include products containing button/coin batteries and the packaging of button/coin batteries.

Specified Standards

For consumer products that are not toys:

• ANSI/UL 4200A-2023 – Standard for Safety for Products Incorporating Button Batteries or Coin Cell Batteries;or

·         the equivalent

For toys:

• ASTM F963-23 – Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Toy Safety;or
• the equivalent

For the packaging of button/coin batteries:

Reclosable

• CAN/CSA Z76.1-99 (R2003) Reclosable Child-Resistant Packages; or
• ISO 8317:2015 – Child-resistant packaging – Requirements and testing procedures for reclosable packages; or
• the equivalent

Non-reclosable

• CSA C22.2 NO. 60086-4:19 (R2024) Primary batteries – Part 4: Safety of lithium batteries (Adopted IEC/CEI 60086-4:2014, 4th Edition, 2014-09, with Canadian deviations); or
• IEC/CEI 60086-5:2021 Primary batteries – Part 5: Safety of batteries with aqueous electrolyte; or
• ISO 28862:2018 – Packaging – Child-resistant packaging – Requirements and testing procedures for non-reclosable packages for non-pharmaceutical products; or
• the equivalent

Labelling criteria:

• ANSI/UL 4200A-2023 – Standard for Safety for Products Incorporating Button Batteries or Coin Cell Batteries; or
• CSA C22.2 No. 62368-1:25 – Audio/video, information and communication technology equipment – Part 1: Safety requirements (Binational standard with UL 62368-1); or
• ASTM F963-23 – Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Toy Safety; or
• CSA C22.2 NO. 60086-4:19 (R2024) Primary batteries – Part 4: Safety of lithium batteries (Adopted IEC/CEI 60086-4:2014, 4th Edition, 2014-09, with Canadian deviations); or
• IEC/CEI 60086-5:2021 Primary batteries – Part 5: Safety of batteries with aqueous electrolyte; or
• ANSI C18.3M Part 2-2023 – Portable Lithium Primary Cells and Batteries – Safety Standard; or
• CSA C22.2 NO. 62133-1:20 – Secondary cells and batteries containing alkaline or other non-acid electrolytes – Safety requirements for portable sealed secondary cells, and for batteries made from them, for use in portable applications – Part 1: Nickel systems; or
• CSA C22.2 NO. 62133-2:20 – Secondary cells and batteries containing alkaline or other non-acid electrolytes – Safety requirements for portable sealed secondary cells, and for batteries made from them, for use in portable applications – Part 2: Lithium systems; or
• the equivalent

Requirements for stakeholders:

• Do not manufacture, import, advertise, or sell products listed on Table 3 that do not meet the performance criteria set out in Table 3, or their equivalent.
• Take the necessary measures to mitigate the danger to human health or safety identified.
• Review Health Canada's danger to human health or safety assessment for additional information about the scope of affected consumer products.

References

https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/consumer-product-safety/legislation-guidelines/guidelines-policies/information-regulated-parties-enforcement-approach-general-prohibitions/notice-danger-human-health-safety-risk-mitigation-products-containing-button-coin-batteries-packaging.html

https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/consumer-product-safety/legislation-guidelines/guidelines-policies/information-regulated-parties-enforcement-approach-general-prohibitions.html#a5