Enhanced Packaging Standards for Hearing Aid Batteries

The Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) announced on March 8, 2023, that they would exercise enforcement discretion regarding the updated packaging requirements for zinc-air button cell or coin batteries. Reese’s Law was passed in August 2022 in order to address heightened safety standards for button and coin cell batteries.

This law covers all button and coin cell batteries, including lithium (which are already voluntarily packaged to higher standards due to greater ingestion risks). Historically, hearing aids batteries have not been subject to enhanced packaging standards. Battery manufacturers estimated that it would take 24 months to bring hearing aid battery packaging into compliance; however, the legislation required compliance on or by February 12, 2023.

The Academy and other organizations weighed in with the CPSC (the federal agency tasked with implementation) urging them to take action to ensure that hearing aid users would not be negatively impacted by the change in requirements for these batteries. The CPSC released a statement on March 8 that “in order to ensure uninterrupted access to batteries used for hearing aids and other hearing assistance technologies, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is announcing it will exercise enforcement discretion for packages of zinc-air button cell or coin batteries subject to the requirements of Child-Resistant Packaging for Button Cell or Coin Batteries, section 3 of Reese’s Law, Pub. L. 117–171, and will not enforce these requirements for one year until March 8, 2024.”