This commissioner’s New Year goal: Regulate water beads

New York (CNN) — 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.

Posted 10:06 p.m. Jan 3 — Updated 10:06 p.m. Jan 3

Ramishah Maruf

, CNN

CNN — New York (CNN) — 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.

CPSC sent the letter to Hobby Lobby on December 20 and asked for a response by December 29. CNN has reached out to Hobby Lobby for comment.

In September, Buffalo Games recalled “Chuckle & Roar Ultimate Water Beads Activity Kits” sold exclusively at Target after one infant death was reported.

Trumka said regulating the dangerous toy is not just a huge priority for the agency. It became a top priority for him, personally, too, especially after speaking to Ashley Haugen — known as That Water Bead Lady online — in early 2023. Haugen’s daughter was poisoned by water beads in 2017, resulting in major surgery and a diagnosis of toxic brain encephalopathy.

Two online petitions on Change.org and Consumer Reports to ban water beads have more than 100,000 signatures combined.

“It seems like a very solvable problem, so we’ve taken an aggressive approach with it. And it seems like we are moving quite quickly to resolution,” Trumka said. The agency plans to put forth a proposed rule in September, he said.

Water beads can be used in arts and crafts and are used as accents in floral arrangements or centerpieces. However, Trumka said he asked Hobby Lobby to stop selling water beads marketed for children.

The pressure from the agency has worked relatively quickly for most retailers, who have pulled the products for children from their shelves.

On December 27, retailer Kohls’ told CPSC it would pull all water bead products and destroy any water bead products in the retailer’s possession. Jo-Ann Stores also said it discontinued the beads and discarded all remaining inventory.

Fast fashion retailer Shein confirmed to CPSC that it stopped selling the beads “in the form of toys, educational materials, and/or art materials designed, intended, or marketed to children under the age of twelve.”

Earlier in December, Amazon, Target and Walmart voluntarily recalled the water beads after pressure from lawmakers and public health professionals.

“In the interest of safety, Amazon will no longer allow the sale of water beads that are marketed to children, including as toys, art supplies or for sensory play,” a company spokesperson said in December.

Potential legislation

In November, US Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. of New Jersey introduced legislation aimed at instating a national ban on beads marketed to children.

“They are specifically marketed to kids. In a single small package you can have 25, 50, or even 75 thousand of these beads and it just takes one to cause harm to a child,” Pallone said in a November news conference. “They are not labeled as dangerous to small children, there’s no warning, and they’re not hard to get.”

Trumka said when it comes to safety regulation, legislation can sometimes move faster than agency rulemaking.

“With so many retailers not selling these products and with a growing understanding of the hazards that they pose, there should be support to close the loop on this,” he said.

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