The rate of reported water bead ingestions among young kids soared more than 6,500% over a recent five-year period, according to the results of a recent study.
The toys are made from superabsorbent material that can “swell to hundreds of times their original size when exposed to fluids,” Nationwide Children’s Hospital says. If swallowed, they can lead to intestinal blockages and even death. They can also cause injuries if placed in the nose or ear.
Using 2019-2024 data from the National Poison Data System, researchers from the hospital and the Central Ohio Poison Center found that nearly 20,300 water bead ingestions among kids younger than 6 were reported to U.S. poison centers. Most of the cases occurred in a residence (95%) and among kids younger than 3 (67%).
One positive is that the rate dropped 24% between 2023 and 2024.
A new Product Safety Commission standard in effect since March revises the maximum diameter of a water bead to 5 millimeters from 20 millimeters. The change makes beads less likely to cause intestinal blockages, the hospital says.
The researchers urge families and caregivers to keep water beads out of homes and away from young kids.
“Water beads pose a unique risk of harm because of their expanding properties, and they’re hard to detect with X-rays,” said Gary Smith, senior study author and director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s. “Additionally, because they are sold in sets of tens of thousands, misplaced water beads in the home are likely not to be noticed until found by an exploring child, a group known for exploring their environment by placing objects in their mouths.”
The study was published in the journal Academic Pediatrics.
