Commercial water bead toys are sold by the thousands and can cause serious injury to kids Kids swallow the beads, which then expand in the digestive tract, causing blockages But bans on the beads could really curb the danger, which is sending record numbers of children to the ER WEDNESDAY, Aug. 14, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Child safety experts have warned about the sometimes lethal dangers of toy water beads. Now, a report finds a doubling in just one year of U.
S. pediatric ER visits linked to the products. “The number of pediatric water bead-related emergency department visits is increasing rapidly,” said study senior author , who directs of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.
“Although swallowing objects and putting them into an ear or the nose are common among children, water beads pose a unique increased risk of harm because of their expanding properties, and they’re hard to detect with X-rays," he noted in a hospital news release. Water beads are made of a super-absorbent material that rapidly expands on contact with water. They're bought in the millions as decorations, child sensory products and gel projectiles for toy “gel blaster” guns.
Young kids don't understand the risk of ingesting a tiny water bead that can slowly expand within the digestive tract to cause a serious intestinal blockage, however. The beads can cause serious harm if pushed into a nose or ear, as well. Parents may not understan.