On September 18, 2026, the Canadian Department of Health (Health Canada) issued a hazard alert, officially including products equipped with button/circular battery and their packaging into the regulatory framework of the "Canadian Consumer Product Safety Act" (CCPSA) Table 3 general prohibitions.

Table 3 lists the products officially recognized by Canada as posing risks to human health or personal safety. Once a product is included in this list, it must strictly meet the safety standards specified in the list. Products that fail to meet the compliance requirements are prohibited from being sold within Canada. This new regulation comes into effect immediately upon the release of the notification and no transitional period is set.

Control scope

The objects subject to control under CCPSA Table 3 are mainly divided into three categories.

✅ Controlled Object: Consumer products containing button / coin batteries

Toy category: Corresponding standard: ASTM F963-23; Relevant content: /

Non-toy category: Corresponding standard: ANSI/UL 4200A-2023; Relevant content: The battery compartment needs to be opened with tools or through two actions.

✅ Controlled Object: Packaging end - Packaging of individual sold button / coin batteries

Re-usable seal: Corresponding standard: CAN/CSA Z76.1-99 or ISO 8317:2015; Relevant content: The packaging must meet child protection requirements and select the corresponding sealing standard based on the battery chemical system (lithium / alkaline / silver oxide / aqueous electrolyte). Spare batteries accompanying the product also need to be evaluated together.

Non-reusable seal: Corresponding standard: CSA C22.2 NO. 60086-4:19 (R2024); Relevant content: The packaging must meet child protection requirements and select the corresponding sealing standard based on the battery chemical system (lithium / alkaline / silver oxide / aqueous electrolyte). Spare batteries accompanying the product also need to be evaluated together.

✅ Controlled Object: Label end - Labels of consumer products containing button / coin batteries, as well as the labels of individual sold button / coin batteries

Corresponding standards: ANSI/UL 4200A-2023, ASTM F963-23, CSA C22.2 No.60086-4:19 (R2024), IEC 60086-4:2014, IEC 60086-5:2021, ANSI C18.3M Part 2-2024, CSA C22.2 No.62133-1:20, CSA C22.2 No.62133-2:20, etc.

Related content: Warning statements on the product must be provided in both English and French. The content must clearly indicate that the product contains button batteries, accidental ingestion can cause severe chemical burns within two hours and even be fatal, new and old batteries should be kept away from children, and if suspected ingestion, immediate medical attention is required. For diameters over 20 millimeters, additional warnings must be affixed to the battery body.

Regulatory risk warning

Button / coin batteries have prominent safety hazards. In case of a child accidentally swallowing, it can cause serious internal injuries within a short period of time, leading to digestive tract chemical burns, and in extreme cases, endangering life safety. Currently, many countries such as the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom have successively tightened the regulatory requirements for button battery-related products.

There are differences with the regulatory policies of these countries. The Canadian Department of Health's current control measures have no buffer period and will come into effect on the day of notification and release on September 18, 2026.

This regulatory requirement covers three dimensions: product structure, packaging design, and label identification. The compliance requirements for each dimension are different, and it is necessary for the product design, packaging, and label-related business teams to collaborate and implement them. Given the regulatory characteristics of immediate implementation upon the release of the regulation, it is recommended that relevant export enterprises quickly entrust a third-party professional institution to conduct regulation interpretation, pre-testing, and obtain compliance rectification suggestions to effectively reduce the risk of product non-compliance.