Key Takeaways
Water beads can expand inside the body, leading to serious and even fatal injuriesMore than 7,800 water bead ingestion cases occurred between 2016 and 2022Parents and experts are calling for a nationwide ban
TUESDAY, Feb. 4, 2025 (HealthDay News) — They’re small, colorful and marketed as safe sensory toys but water beads have sent thousands of kids to the emergency room — and now, experts and parents want their sale to be banned.
Water beads can expand up to 100 times their size when exposed to water. If swallowed, they can cause intestinal blockages, breathing problems and even toxic effects on the brain, according to a study published Jan. 28 in the journal Pediatrics.
In fact, one of the study’s authors, Ashley Haugen, knows the risks firsthand.
When her daughter, Kipley, was a toddler, she developed a rash, began vomiting and started struggling with coordination.
Doctors later discovered she had …