Water Beads Sold As Children's Toys Have Killed, Injured Babies

NEPTUNE, NJ — On Monday, Congressman Frank Pallone (D-NJ6) held a press conference on the grounds of Jersey Shore University Medical Center to announce he is introducing legislation to ban water beads marketed to kids.

Water beads are colorful, water-absorbing small balls. They are made from water-absorbent polymer. As such, they expand exponentially in size and weight after they absorb water. Water beads are used as a soil additive or used to hold house plants and cut flowers (as opposed to putting flowers in regular water). Water beads are also sold as children’s toys, and often look like candy.

And water beads can be deadly:

Wisconsin resident Taylor Bethard is the mother of Esther Jo, who died at 10 months old in July after accidentally ingesting water beads.

Most water beads sold in America are made in China, including the Chuckle & Roar activity kit, which contained water beads and was sold at Target this year. Bethard said she and her husband purchased the Chuckle & Roar activity kit for their four older children, and Esther, her youngest and the baby, got ahold of the microbeads. In this interview with ABC Philadelphia, Bethard said she supervised her children, but the beads may have rolled out of sight, or hid around the house. She said the beads are "as small as a seed" before they absorb water.

Bethard joined Congressman Pallone Monday in Neptune to announce the Ban Water Beads Act.

“Water beads are not worth the risk. If you are a parent, caregiver, teacher or therapist, I urge you to remove these from your spaces immediately," said Bethard.

Pallone's bill is called the Ban Water Beads Act, and it would direct the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission to enforce a ban on all water beads marketed to kids. However, Pallone's bill does not 100 percent ban all water beads from being sold in America; water beads could still be sold for use around the house or in plants.

Bethard is in red at the press conference Monday; two other mothers whose children were injured by water beads are next to her, Ashley Haugen and Folichia Mitchell. Congressman Pallone is second from right.

After Bethard's baby died, 52,000 Chuckle & Roar Ultimate Water Beads Activity Kits were recalled from Target stores, according to U.S. News & World Report. Similarly, a 9-month-old in Maine suffered an intestinal blockage when she also accidentally ate the beads.

ERs across New Jersey have seen an increase in visits due to water bead ingestion in the past few years, said Dr. Harpreet Pall, chair of pediatrics at Hackensack Meridian Children’s Health K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital at Jersey Shore.

According to Pallone's office, children ingesting water beads resulted in 7,800 emergency room visits nationwide between 2016 and 2022.

From the press conference Monday in Neptune:

Haugen also spoke Monday. She is a mom and the founder of That Water Bead Lady.

Haugen, who is not from New Jersey, said her baby daughter also ingested water beads and needed emergency colon surgery to remove them from her bowels. Her daughter survived, and she and her husband thought they had endured the worst. But their nightmare continued several months after surgery, as her daughter continued to suffer toxic poisoning. Doctors say the beads opened inside of her daughter and the plastic gel was absorbed by her baby's body.

"In 2017, my family’s life was turned upside down when water beads, purchased for my oldest daughter, poisoned and critically injured my youngest daughter, Kipley," said Haugen. "The same water beads that devastated my family remain for sale, a silent threat in any home. Today, alongside Congressman Pallone, the CPSC, and Consumer Reports, we support the Ban Water Beads Act and urge retailers to proactively remove these beads from their online platforms and shelves.”

“Water beads come in all sorts of bright rainbow colors, tend to look like candy, and are often labeled as non-toxic,” said Congressman Pallone. "They look and sound fun, but the reality is these colorful products can become deadly or cause serious injuries when swallowed by children. That’s why I’m introducing legislation to ban water beads marketed for kids nationwide."

Pallone represents New Jersey's Sixth Congressional District in Congress, which starts at Carteret/Woodbridge and hugs the Jersey Shore coastline into Asbury Park/Neptune.