Popular Water Beads Pose Choking Hazard for Young Children, Warns Safety Commission

(KNSI) — The Consumer Product Safety Commission has a warning for parents about the dangers of water beads.

Water beads are sold as part of craft kits or used as sensory tools for children with developmental difficulties. They are also used in the agriculture industry as they start small and can grow up to 100 times their original size when exposed to water to hold moisture in farm fields.

That’s the problem.

They’re small. Some are as small as a pinhead and nearly undetectable when dropped on the floor. They’re also colorful and look like candy, but they’re deadly if ingested. They are also a choking hazard and pose a risk of internal injury and even death as they can continue to grow inside the body. The CPSC says instances of them being dropped in ear canals can lead to damage in the ear structure, causing hearing loss and needing surgery.

Parents and caregivers with small children should remove the products from reach. Childcare centers, camps and schools are also urged to get rid of them entirely.

The CPSC says not to allow children to play with water beads unsupervised and to store water beads in a secure container and location where young children cannot easily access them. Its website says, “The only way to mitigate the hazard is to remove them from the home.”

If water beads are ingested, call the National Poison Help Line at 800-222-1222. It’s open 24 hours a day.

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