According to CCTV Finance, three well-known American retailers, Amazon, Walmart and Target, have recently issued statements stating that they will stop selling children's water beads products due to potential safety hazards. Amazon stated on the 14th that due to safety concerns, third-party sellers are no longer allowed to sell water beads products for children, and sellers must remove all related products from the shelves before December 22.


Previously, Walmart had said it would stop selling water-bead toys and crafts for children under 9 years old, and would remove such products from physical stores and online stores. Target also said it would ban the sale of water-bead toys for children 12 years old and under.


It is understood that this type of water bead product is a kind of highly water-absorbent, colorful beads made of polymeric materials, usually only the size of a mung bean. But when they encounter water or other liquids, their volume will expand hundreds of times, turning into smooth, transparent and elastic small water balls. In the United States, they are sold as stand-alone toys and in sensory stimulation kits designed for children with developmental disabilities.


The U.S. Consumer Protection Agency pointed out that young children may accidentally swallow water drops while playing, causing severe discomfort, vomiting and dehydration, and some may even be life-threatening. In addition, water droplets may also enter the child's ears, causing hearing damage or even complete loss. The data shows,Between 2016 and 2022, approximately 7,800 young children in the United States were sent to the hospital for treatment due to emergencies while playing with water beads. A U.S. congressman from New Jersey introduced legislation last month that would ban the nationwide sale of all water bead products intended for children.

Similar toys are also sold in large quantities in our country, and news of children accidentally eating them also occurs from time to time.

According to Xinhuanet,When similar toys are sold in merchants,Also known as bubble beads, water-absorbent bombs, water elves, ocean babies, etc., they are widely used in potted plants to retain water and interior decoration. Some businesses sell them as toys or even as projectiles for projectile toys. Due to the bright colors, younger children are likely to mistake it for candy and swallow it, putting their lives at risk. In addition, if the fragments of water sprites adhere to your fingers and you rub your eyes with your hands, these fragments can scratch the eyeballs, leading to infection or even blindness.

According to a Shanxi Yuncheng Evening News report on October 17, the city’s Maternal and Child Health Hospital received a two-year-old child who suddenly had stomach pains and vomiting two days before the visit. After examination at the county hospital where he was located, the doctor found a cyst in the child's right lower abdomen and suggested continued observation. On October 17, the child's stomach pain and vomiting worsened, so the parents took her to Yuncheng Maternal and Child Health Hospital for treatment.

After consultation with doctors from multiple disciplines, it was determined that the child had complete mechanical intestinal obstruction, which could not be relieved by conservative treatment. At 11 o'clock on October 18, the doctor performed an operation on the child. During the operation, the doctor discovered that there was a foreign body in the terminal ileum of the child, causing obstruction. When the intestine was cut open, it turned out to be a "big bead" with a diameter of seven to eight centimeters.

Zou Jixiang, a pediatric surgeon at the hospital, said that the child accidentally ingested the "soaked beads", which eventually blocked the digestive tract and caused intestinal obstruction. Fortunately, through timely surgery, the child was able to turn his life around. Without timely surgery, intestinal necrosis and intestinal perforation may occur, which may be life-threatening.

According to a report from Jiangsu Suzhou Dawn Newspaper on January 19 this year, SuzhouThe Pediatric Surgery Department of the Municipal Hospital successfully treated a one-year-old child who swallowed "bubble beads" through surgery.

It is reported that the patient's sister brought back a pack of "soaked beads" to play with him. Unexpectedly, the child picked up two and put them in his mouth. His sister did not see them at the time, and his parents did not know. Three days later, the child developed symptoms such as vomiting, abdominal distension, fever, and crying, and his family immediately took him to the municipal hospital for treatment.

After examination, the patient's abdominal plain radiograph showed: intestinal obstruction; abdominal color ultrasound showed: cystic structure in the right middle and lower abdomen. The child was in poor mental state and had a slab-shaped abdomen at the time of treatment, and required emergency surgery. Ma Xiaopeng, the chief physician of the pediatric surgery department of the hospital, and others, led by Gao Wei, director of the Provincial Medical Regional Center and Provincial Children's Hospital, carried out surgical exploration and found a large amount of exudate in the child's abdominal cavity. There were two 3cm diameter balls 50cm away from the ileocecal part. They performed a small intestinal foreign body removal operation, and the child was safely out of danger after the operation.

According to Quanzhou Radio and Television Station, relevant staff from the Consumer Rights Protection Section of Quanzhou Market Supervision and Administration Bureau said that children are naturally active and will use some items in daily life as toys. This type of improper use hides great dangers. For example, the case of accidentally playing with "bubble beads" is a typical example.

The Quanzhou Market Supervision and Administration Bureau once issued a warning saying that "bubble beads" are also known as ocean babies and water-absorbent bombs. It is a bead-shaped water-absorbent resin. Because of its functions of absorbing and retaining water, it is widely used in potted plants to retain water, interior decoration, etc. Due to its shape, color, and volume, it may be mistaken for food by children, causing them to accidentally swallow or inhale it.

After water sprites enter the respiratory tract, they absorb water and expand, which may block the respiratory tract and cause suffocation; after entering the digestive tract, they absorb water and expand, which can cause intestinal obstruction, intestinal dilation, secondary infection, water and electrolyte disorders, etc., and even cause intestinal perforation and intestinal necrosis, leading to life-threatening consequences.

Relevant staff from the Consumer Rights Protection Section of the Quanzhou Market Supervision and Administration Bureau said that in recent years, injury accidents involving this product have occurred frequently, and a consumer warning has been issued for this reason - children and their guardians should not buy this product as a toy.