Product Safety Alert: Water Beads (PSA7)
This is a Product Safety Alert from the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) for a product commonly known as ‘water beads’. Water beads can pose a serious risk of a) gastrointestinal blockage requiring surgery or b) asphyxiation (suffocation or choking). This Alert is for consumers (particularly parents and caregivers to young children), childcare and educational establishments, local authority trading standards and businesses to warn of the potential harm that water beads can pose.
Key safety messages
- Water beads should be kept away from young children, under 5 years of age.
- They should only be used by older children under close supervision of an adult.
- If you possess water beads, always store them out of sight and reach of children.
What are water beads?
Water beads are the common name for superabsorbent polymers (SAPs). When exposed to liquid, including water or gastric fluids, they can expand significantly greater than their original size. Dehydrated beads can typically be as small as a few millimeters 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.
Why are they dangerous?
Water beads have been linked to child fatalities overseas and to serious harm to children in the UK.
The main harms occur when dehydrated beads are swallowed and then 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.
Background
Water beads is a generic term used in this Product Safety Alert. 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.
OPSS has found that some water beads marketed as toys are unsafe and do not meet the legal requirements for toys, as they expand beyond the acceptable limit when placed in a liquid. Action has been taken to remove these products from the market.
Consumers, carers, educators, local authority trading standards services and businesses are asked to be alert to the potential dangers of water beads and to take action, where appropriate, as advised below.
Advised Action
Consumers, Childcare and Education Settings:
- Water beads should be kept away from young children, under 5 years of age. If you possess water beads, always store them out of sight and reach of children.
- It is recommended that caregivers of young children, under 5 years of age, avoid having water beads in their household or classroom, even if intended for an older child or adult use. This is because young children have the highest propensity to put things in their mouths.
- When using water beads with older children, ensure they are used under close adult supervision. Ensure water beads are not swallowed, that the area is thoroughly checked to ensure no water beads have rolled away, which later could be found by a child. Only allow children supervised access to a limited number of water beads at any one time.
- Be aware of risks to older children and vulnerable adults, including people with special educational needs and disabilities which may make them more likely to mouth objects.
- Be aware of signs that could indicate accidental ingestion, like vomiting and stomach pain. Remember, a child may only show symptoms, hours or even a day or more after swallowing a bead. If you suspect water beads have been swallowed, seek immediate medical attention. If you can, bring a sample of the product.
- Be aware of signs that could indicate choking, such as difficulty breathing, speaking, crying or coughing or other signs of distress, such as pointing to their throat, grasping their neck or a face that turns pale and blue-tinted.
Businesses
- Must comply with their obligations under product safety law to only place water beads on the market that meet safety requirements.
- Must ensure that water beads they manufacture, import or sell do not pose a risk to vulnerable users including children.
- Must ensure that clear warnings are included with any products that contain water beads, where there is a risk of ingestion and/or choking.
- The Toy Safety Standard EN71 sets out a maximum level of expansion that water beads should not expand beyond.
Local Authority Trading Standards and Environmental Health in Northern Ireland
- Notify businesses selling water beads within their area of the potential harm these products may pose.
- Contact any known importers or distributors of these products within your area to ensure their products comply with their obligations under product safety law.
Additional Information and Resources
- News Story
- NHS Guidance on choking: How to stop a child from choking - NHS (www.nhs.uk)