Doctor warns about deadly dangers of water beads after spate of infant deaths after swallowing them
- A doctor has warned that the toy water beads could be dangerous for children
- Water beads can expand to almost four times their size and lead to blockages
- READ MORE: Mother calls for water beads to be banned after daughter dies
A doctor has warned that a popular children’s toy could cause fatal obstructions if it swells to four times its size.
Dr. Josh Trebach, an emergency room doctor in Iowa, tweeted last week about water beads, small absorbent balls that have become popular as bath toys for children.
Dr. Trebach said: ‘A gentle reminder that water beads (a popular children’s toy) can swell to over 400% of their original size.’
‘If children eat these, they may experience gastrointestinal obstructions.’
The beads are made of materials that absorb water. This causes them to expand dramatically. However, when a child accidentally swallows them, the water is absorbed into the body and expands, causing potentially fatal blockages.
The warning comes as several parents have sued the makers of these toys after their children were seriously injured or killed.
Esther Jo Bethard (pictured) died in July after eating a water bead, which swelled up in her body
Dr. Josh Trebach, an emergency room doctor in Iowa, shared photos on Twitter of water beads that quadrupled in size
Water beads are most often used for sensory play and developing fine motor skills. They are also used as liquid absorbers in baby diapers, incontinence garments and sanitary napkins.
The National Poison Control Center says ingesting water beads can cause them to absorb fluid, which can cause them to expand in the intestinal tract and cause life-threatening blockages.
In March, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and toy company Buffalo Games recalled more than 50,000 “Chuckle & Roar Ultimate Water Beads Activity Kits” sold at Target after one baby was injured and another died.
The injured child, Kennedy Mitchell of Maine, was hospitalized after swallowing one of the beads. She developed an intestinal blockage, which can be fatal because it cuts off the blood supply to part of the intestines.
Initial surgery was performed to remove the water bead, but the damage to Kennedy’s intestines had already been done.
Water beads are marketed as children’s toys or therapies for children with sensory processing disorders or autism spectrum disorders
The ten-month-old baby went into septic shock and had to be put on a ventilator. A second operation checked for additional obstacles, but none were found.
Two more surgeries were needed to remove the extra fluid in her intestines and reduce the pressure on her organs.
The child was able to return home soon afterwards.
Last month, parents in California filed a lawsuit against toy company Orbeez after at least one child died as a result of eating one.
The CPSC estimates that there have been approximately 4,500 emergency room visits attributed to water beads since 2017.