Congressman Proposes Nationwide Ban on Water Beads Citing Health Risks

Children's Toy Linked to 4,500 ER Visits Since 2017, Incidents Increasing

Congressman Frank Pallone Jr. of New Jersey is set to introduce a bill to ban water beads, a children's toy that can expand to 100 times their size when exposed to liquid, posing serious health risks if ingested.
Water beads have been linked to 4,500 emergency room visits since 2017, and incidents have been growing more frequent.
Water beads are sold by major retailers like Target, Walmart, and Amazon, and are often marketed as crafts, tactile toys for children with autism, or ammunition for toy guns.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued several recalls of water bead kits due to ingestion hazards, but regulatory steps to prevent them from being sold could take years and face court challenges.
Parents and advocacy groups are rallying support for the proposed bill, citing personal experiences of harm caused by water beads, including the death of a 10-month-old baby.