Injuries from ‘water beads’ sending more kids to the ER, study shows

The number of ER visits involving toy water beads jumped 131% in the United States from 2021 to 2022, researchers from Nationwide Children’s Hospital estimate.

The toys are made from superabsorbent material that can “swell to hundreds of times their original size when exposed to fluids,” the hospital states. If swallowed, they can lead to intestinal blockages and even death. They can also cause injuries if placed in the nose or ear canal.

Using data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, researchers from the hospital’s Center for Injury Research and Policy and Central Ohio Poison Center estimate that nearly 8,200 water bead-related ER visits among people younger than 20 occurred between 2007 and 2022. 

Kids younger than 5 were the most common patients, making up 55% of the cases and 90% of the patients who were admitted to the hospital.

“Many parents are not aware that water beads can be harmful to children,” said study co-author Marcel Casavant, a physician at the hospital. “If children younger than 6 years or with developmental delays live in or visit your home, keep water beads out of your home, and talk with your childcare directors, preschool teachers, therapists and others who may be using water beads with young children.”

The study was published online in the Journal of Emergency Medicine.