This commissioner’s New Year goal: Regulate water beads

They’re colorful, small and fun to squish. But water beads pose major health risks to children, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission has made it a priority in the new year to regulate its marketing toward its youngest customers.

They’re colorful, small and fun to squish. But water beads pose major health risks to children, safety experts say, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission has made it a priority in the new year to fully regulate water bead marketing toward young consumers. Water beads are tiny balls made out of extremely absorbent polymer material. When exposed to liquid, they can expand to 100 times their initial size and weight, according to the commission. These candy-like colorful balls are marketed as toys to children and although they’re seemingly small, if ingested, they can grow inside the body posing an immense health risk to young children, experts say. In a safety alert in September, the CPSC reported that these beads “can cause severe discomfort, vomiting, dehydration, intestinal blockages and life-threatening injuries” and may require surgery to remove. And, because they’re mostly made up of water, typical X-rays often do not pick them up. In a stinging letter on January 2, CPSC Commissioner Rich Trumka Jr. called out two retailers, Hobby Lobby and online retailer Wish, for a lack of response in committing to discontinuing the toys. “They have failed to keep up with their competitors, as they have not made similar commitments to safety. Corporate greed can be deadly,” Trumka wrote.