A Product Safety Notice has been issued for water beads. Water beads are the common name for superabsorbent polymers. Dehydrated beads can typically be as small as a few millimetres in diameter but can expand to over 400 times that size on contact with liquid.
Water beads are marketed for various purposes, including for use as toys, in crafting, as home decor or in floristry.
Water beads have been linked to child fatalities overseas and to serious harm to children in the UK. If swallowed they expand in the gastrointestinal tract, causing a blockage that requires surgical removal. Ingested water beads can be very difficult to detect and do not show up on x-ray, making clinical diagnosis challenging.
Harm can also occur when a bead is accidentally inhaled into the airways, which can lead to coughing and choking.
Water beads is a generic term used in this Product Safety Notice. However, other common names for these products include, but are not limited to:
• Jelly balls • Jelly water gems • Aqua gel • Water balls • Biodegradable balls • Gel beads • Silicone orbs • Water absorbing beads • Floating pearls • Sensory beads • Water crystals
The beads are small and are often sold in large quantities in their dehydrated form and marketed as toys, sensory kits, art kits, hydro guns, stress balls, home decor or vase fillers.
For more information see attached Product Safety Notice.
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