Children swallowing fewer coins as cash declines, doctors report

Cashless societies may be a sad fact of modern life for those with a nostalgic attachment to the pound in your pocket, but doctors have discovered one unexpected benefit.

- Denis Campbell

Far fewer children are having surgery after swallowing small items that could choke or kill them, and the scarcity of loose change is likely to be the reason. The number of children in England needing an operation to remove a foreign body from their nose, throat or airway fell significantly between 2012 and 2022, NHS figures show.

The fall has been greeted by doctors and surgeons, who for years have warned of the dangers posed by young children ingesting magnets, tiny batteries and other risky objects.