- A poison expert explained the risks water-bead toys could pose if they're accidentally swallowed.
- She commented after a baby nearly died from ingesting a bead that belonged to her older brother.
An expert at the National Capital Poison Center has warned about the risk to children of water beads, a sensory toy consisting of small beads which swell up when left in water.
Kelly Johnson-Arbor, the interim executive director of the nonprofit organization, told Insider that the beads could cause intestinal blockages that might result in severe illness or even death.
She was responding to Target's decision to remove a popular brand of water beads from its shelves after one of the beads nearly caused the death of a baby.
"Water beads should be stored well out of reach of children," Johnson-Arbor told Insider in an email.
The physician added, "At least one death has been reported in a child who consumed water beads."
Insider on Monday reported the case of Kennedy Mitchell, a 10-month-old who swallowed one of her brother's water beads this month. She needed five operations. At one point, surgeons told her parents that their infant had a 50% chance of survival.
Johnson-Arbor noted in her email that the beads — which contain polymers that absorb water — could "significantly increase in size" after being ingested.
"When swallowed," she added, "water beads easily absorb intestinal fluids and retain hundreds of times their weight in water."
Water beads can damage different organs
Johnson-Arbor said that while most water beads were small, some of the bigger ones could expand to the "size of a tennis ball or even larger."
She said the "often brightly colored" beads, which she noted "can resemble small gumballs or candy," could damage other organs, too.
For instance, she said kids who put them in their ears or other orifices could also get sick.
Elissa Byer, a mother of three, was horrified when her son aspirated one of his older sister's water beads in August. Byer said he managed to find it even though the family kept the beads in a locked container.
The 22-month-old, then 18 months, was taken to the emergency room with respiratory issues after passing out. His oxygen levels were frighteningly low, Byer said.
"I was freaking out because I didn't know what was happening," she said.
X-rays showed that the boy, James — who is nicknamed "Mr. B" — had no air in his left lung.
The surgeons performed surgery and found that the top of the lung had been blocked by a small round object filled with liquid.
"It was so stuck in there that the only option that the surgeon had was to push it down," Byer said.
Byer was horrified to find out that her son had aspirated his older sister's water bead
The mom said the surgeon could remove the object only by cutting it. "It burst, and the gel coated the whole inside of my son's lung," she told Insider.
She realized that it was a water bead as soon as she saw a photo from the OR. She said she'd bought the Chuckle & Roar brand — the same brand that Kennedy's mom purchased — at Target.
Byer said the surgical team "washed out" the liquid left in the child's lung as "best that they could." One doctor told her they didn't know the prognosis at that point.
"They said, 'You're either going to get lucky, and he's not going to get an infection or pneumonia, or it might be a big problem,'" Byer said.
The boy was given oxygen in the intensive-care unit and later discharged. So far, his mom said, there had been no lasting effects.
Byer said she contacted Ashley Haugen, a mom who set up a charity this year to raise awareness about the dangers of water beads. Haugen, whose daughter, Kipley, swallowed one of the beads in 2017, told Insider the product should be banned.
"I feel like our story was the warning sign and everybody ignored it," Byer said. She complained to Chuckle & Roar, which responded in an email that she shared with Insider.
The company wrote that it was sorry to hear about her "traumatic experience and are happy to hear" that her child was "doing well."
Its response went on, "please note that we haven't before heard of or received similar feedback or reports from others, but will keep a record of your episode as we continually strive to provide the most safe, fun, and rewarding activities and learning toys, and your feedback helps us."
Johnson-Arbor, of the National Capital Poison Center, told Insider that water beads were initially introduced for agricultural use but were "now marketed as sensory toys for children."
She wrote that poison-control centers had been contacted by parents wanting to know whether water beads' ingredients were toxic.
"There is no published medical literature confirming that water beads are composed of toxic ingredients," Johnson-Arbor said.
She noted in her email to Insider that the Consumer Product Safety Commission had issued "sporadic recalls for certain brands of water beads." She added that the products were "legal and available for sale in the United States."
"We're not going to stop until we can make Kipley's dream come true — that no more kids are injured by water beads," Haugen said. She added, "Nobody else should have to go through what she, Kennedy, Mr. B, and many other children have."