Why Are Water Beads Dangerous? Here's Why Everyone's Talking
Find out why many concerned parents are throwing out these 'sensory toys.'
As with anything, there are possible dangers with any of the products we have at home. For kids especially, there are choking hazards, poisonous items and sharp objects to keep out of reach.
However, sometimes there are hidden dangers that wouldn't necessarily be considered. Many things seem totally safe and aren't even on parents' radars, unfortunately, there have been numerous cases of tragedies. Take, for instance, the newfound dangers of water beads.
In recent years, water beads have been growing rapidly in popularity—touted as a sensory tool that can help kids develop fine and gross motor, language, and social skills. They have been marketed as great additions to DIY sensory bins thanks to their bright colors, texture and ability to expand. And while kids do enjoy playing with them, the potential dangers of water beads are definitely worth learning about and considering.
Before adding them to your cart for sensory play, read on to learn more about the risks of water beads.
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What Are Water Beads?
Water beads (also referred to as "sensory beads" by some) are small, super-absorbent polymer crystals that, when placed in water, grow to be about the size of a marble. However, they can grow even bigger than that if they are placed in water for a longer period of time.
In recent years, they have been trending as popular additions to sensory bins for kids. Kids love them because they first get to watch the crystals grow into the larger water beads that are colorful and squishy. Then, they can play with them and explore the fun feel and texture. The water beads have an irresistible look that is translucent and brightly colored.
Besides being used in sensory play for kids, water beads are also very popular to use in decorating. They are primarily used in the home as vase fillers to keep flowers and plants fresh and hydrated.
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Why Are Water Beads Dangerous?
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The problem with these beads is that along with being irresistible to touch, kids may also find them enticing to place in their mouths. They even look a little bit like candy. This makes the water beads a choking hazard, which is dangerous enough—but there is also another problem.
Are Water Beads Dangerous if They Are Swallowed?
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Swallowed water beads don't necessarily get digested and removed through waste. With all of the body fluids, once the water beads get ingested, they can continue to grow inside the body and expand to a size that can cause an intestinal or bowel obstruction. Even the small crystals that the beads start out as can be swallowed and grow much larger.
One TikTok user, fo_bby4, has been sharing her family's current struggle after their nine-month-old daughter, Kennedy, swallowed a water bead—her video above has had over 12 million views, with many commenters thanking her for sharing her family's story and saying that they've now thrown away all of their water beads at home.
If you suspect that a water bead has been swallowed, it's important to get your child into emergency care right away. It's possible, that if caught early enough through ultrasound, the beads could be extracted without invasive surgery. According to the National Health Library, "because water beads can be readily found with point-of-care ultrasound, the use of this imaging modality can expedite endoscopic intervention and avoid surgical removal of foreign bodies."
Some little kids may even want to place them in their ears or nose. There have been cases of children putting the water beads into their ear canal and then when the beads grew in size, suffering hearing loss.
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Added Danger of Inhaling Polymer Crystals
Something that many of us wouldn't have considered a danger is the ability to actually inhale the tiny crystals. Since kids sometimes like to put things in their noses, it does start to make sense that one big snort in and that crystal is up and floating through the airways.
According to BMC Pediatrics, "the beads can easily be aspirated by children and overlooked by their caregivers and physicians for long periods of time due to their small size." They further explain that "the bead can cause significant airway damage after multiplying in size when coming into contact with respiratory mucus which consists of 95% water."
All it takes is for a child to get a crystal stuck on their hand, then touch their face, nose or mouth with it, and take a deep breath. It's scary to think about how quickly a tiny crystal could get ingested.
Are Water Beads Toxic?
According to Poison Control, the water beads are not toxic but they are extremely dangerous and even life-threatening. There have been cases of children needing surgery to remove a blockage and even one case of death after surgery.
Although the label says that the water beads are non-toxic and Poison Control is in agreement, that doesn't mean they cannot be harmful. And that's why a woman on TikTok, known as "That Water Bead Lady" has been speaking out and raising awareness about why the "non-toxic" label is misleading. Continue reading and you'll understand why.
That Water Bead Lady
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That Water Bead Lady has shared her family's story on TikTok. A gift of water beads to their six-year-old daughter ended up being a tragedy to their other daughter who was 10 months old at the time. Although their daughters were supervised during play, the younger daughter, Kipley, managed to swallow one of the water beads. It's possible that she may have swallowed one of the crystals in its tiniest form.
She ended up needing surgery because of an obstruction and made it through that okay. But, that wasn't the end of the story. They began noticing a decline in speech and motor skills that led them to investigate what the beads are made up of, which was polyacrylamide and not supposed to be toxic.
After reading a lot of literature on it, it was discovered that the polymerization process could still lead to residual acrylamide monomer exposure. The doctor was able to confirm this when he gave a diagnosis of Kipley's condition as Toxic Brain Encephalopathy caused by acrylamide monomer poisoning.
As would be expected, That Water Bead Lady is now an advocate to get the information out on the dangers of water beads, hoping that her family's personal story will help protect others.
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