New health warning issued about the dangers of water bead toys

Water beads start small but expand when immersed in water. If a child swallows one, it can grow inside their body, causing gastrointestinal blockages.

After years of injury reports and safety advisories, water beads continue to be a serious and growing health hazard for young children, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said on Tuesday.

The absorbent polymer beads are often marketed as colorful, slimy, sensory items for kids to play with. They can be as small as a stud earring  — little enough to swallow — but grow to the size of a marble or even a golf ball when immersed in water. Once inside a child’s body, they can cause gastrointestinal blockages.

The CPSC recorded nearly 7,000 water bead-related ingestion injuries in emergency rooms between 2018 and 2022.

The agency issued warnings this week about two products with toxicity risk, urging consumers to throw away water beads from the brands Jangostor and Tuladuo, which were sold on Amazon as recently as November 2023. According to the CPSC, the products contain unsafe levels of acrylamide, a chemical compound considered a probable human carcinogen. High levels of exposure can also have negative effects on the nervous and reproductive systems.

“The product warnings highlight that water bead hazards can go beyond ingestion, expansion and obstruction inside a child. Acrylamide is a known carcinogen,” the CPSC said in a release. “The large water beads in CPSC’s warnings contain levels of acrylamide in violation of the Federal Hazardous Substances Act.” 

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/kids-health/health-warning-water-bead-toys-danger-rcna144152

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