I need the perspective of someone that doesn't suffer from OCD/anxiety.
If a battery leaks in something, would you freak out, worry about that item being dangerous?
I have some AA alkaline batteries in my green recycling box (with all the other recycling) in a sealed plastic bag - the rubbish people haven't collected them the last couple of times, though they usually collect batteries. The bag they're in now seems to have a milky coloured liquid that I think has leaked out of the batteries - I don't know if it could have soaked out of the bag and got onto any of the other recycling. Worried about putting out the recycling tonight in case things in the box with the bag have got contaminated (especially the paper recycling bag which will probably be taken out of the box and I'm worried people will brush against it and get battery chemicals onto themselves)
Also, this has coincided with finding out that a plush, battery operated toy that I had put in a suitcase full of clothes that I've just washed ready to go away tomorrow had stopped working. I took it out of the suitcase, opened up the battery compartment (one of the ones where you have to undo a screw to open it) and see that one of the batteries in it has leaked a bit. I've cleaned inside the battery compartment with vinegar and sponged the plush bit around it with vinegar - but now I'm freaking out about whether any of the leaking battery could have gone through the sides of the compartment into the suitcase and contaminated all of the clean clothes and my DD's books and magazines that are in there. Also, is the toy safe to play with once I've sponged it down?
I don't even know how dangerous leaking alkaline batteries are! Is this something that "normal" people worry about? I always envisage my daughter getting a tiny bit of it on her hand and licking her hand and getting ill. When I google it to try and work out what is my OCD and what is rational thinking, I always end up seeing end of the world scenarios!
I have been getting so much better recently, but I'm having a tough week with other stuff, so my brain is in a total spin.
Thanks for your help.