SAN ANTONIO – The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has approved a new safety standard for water bead toys.
The new standards set a new expansion limit for the toys and other rules aimed to prevent the risk of injury or death to children.
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The CPSC defines a water bead as a “various shaped liquid absorbent polymer, composed of materials such as, but not limited to, polyacrylamide and polyacrylate, which expands when soaked in liquid.”
The new standard:
- Sets a maximum expansion limit for water bead toys so they will not become large enough to cause blockages if ingested
- Establishes a limit on the amount of acrylamide allowed in toys to reduce toxicity risks
- Requires easily seen and strongly worded warning labels for owners
The CPSC said around 6,300 water bead-related ingestion injuries were treated in the U.S. from 2017 to 2022.
At least one reported death, a 10-month-old girl, was reported in 2023, directly related to water bead ingestion.
The new safety standard will take effect 90 days after being published in the Federal Register, the CPSC said.
The CPSC recommends the following safety tips when interacting with water bead toys:
- Remove the toys from any environment where young children could be present.
- Store water beads in a secure container and a location where young children cannot easily find them.
- Always supervise children when they play with water beads.
- Make sure to clean an area with water beads thoroughly after playtime is over. These toys can easily scatter, roll away and become lost.
- Some water bead toys are not for children. Read the labels and plan accordingly.
You can learn more about the new standard here.
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