Water bead toys face new federal safety rules after thousands of children injured

Federal safety standards for water bead toys took effect this week, aimed at protecting children from a product blamed for thousands of injuries and at least one death.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) regulations target the small, colorful polymer pellets that expand dramatically when soaked in water. Between 2017 and 2022, an estimated 6,300 children were rushed to hospital emergency rooms for water bead injuries, the CPSC announced.

“Water beads are these little, tiny pieces of polymer about the size of sprinkles that you put on ice cream or maybe a pea, and they don’t look dangerous, and that’s part of the problem,” said Herb Weisbaum, contributing editor at Checkbook.org. “But they expand exponentially. They can grow 100 times their size.”

Beads pose serious risks when swallowed or inserted into ears, noses

The beads, which can expand to the size of a grape or golf ball, pose serious risks when children swallow them or insert them into their ears or noses. Ingested beads can cause intestinal blockages, while those placed in the ears can cause permanent hearing loss.

“It takes a long time for doctors to find this, especially when it’s swallowed, because it doesn’t always show up on X-rays,” Weisbaum told Seattle’s Morning News. “So they know something’s wrong, but they may not be able to figure out what exactly is wrong.”

The new regulations address the hazard in three ways: limiting how large the beads can expand to five millimeters, requiring strongly worded warning labels, and restricting the amount of acrylamide, a toxic chemical found in the polymers.

Ashley Haugen’s daughter, Kipley, nearly died after swallowing water beads that her parents had purchased for an older sibling. Despite keeping the toy in a separate play area away from the toddler, the tiny pellets were scattered.

“Imagine little pieces of glitter with the bouncing power of a super ball, and that’s a water bead,” Haugen said. “They get everywhere, into every nook and cranny, and you can clean up and do a wonderful job at cleaning up, and they get missed.”

Kipley survived the intestinal blockage but suffered neurological damage from the product’s toxicity, according to Weisbaum.

‘Non-toxic’ labels offer false assurance, expert warns

The products, mostly manufactured in China, were originally invented to keep plants moist before being marketed as toys roughly 15 years ago. Recalls and injuries followed almost immediately.

Weisbaum emphasized that the new rule is neither a recall nor a ban, meaning existing products remain in homes and childcare facilities.

“If you have them, get rid of them,” he said. “If you see them at a daycare center or something like that, tell them. These are dangerous. Please don’t use them.”

He also warned that packaging labeled “non-toxic” offers false assurance.

“Non-toxic is like natural. It doesn’t mean anything,” Weisbaum said. “These products were toxic, and it said non-toxic on the package.”

The rule came after years of advocacy from parents and organizations, including Consumer Reports, following failed congressional legislation.

Pets face similar risks from the beads, which can cause intestinal damage in animals.

Manda Factor is the host of “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio. Follow Manda on X and email her here. 

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