Babies who swallowed water beads have died, choked, or needed emergency surgery to remove intestinal blockages when these candy-colored toy balls expanded in the child’s body.
Need a Texas Water Beads Lawyer? Collen A. Clark is a true advocate for his clients and is passionate about helping Texans that have been injured or wronged. If your baby choked, needed surgery, or died after swallowing a water bead, you should contact our lawyers immediately. You may be entitled to compensation by filing a lawsuit.
Target, Walmart, Amazon Stop Selling Water Beads
In December 2023, Target, Walmart and Amazon announced that they would stop selling water bead toys for children after federal safety officials warned that they can be deadly if swallowed.
Amazon said it will no longer sell water beads if they are marketed toward children, including as toys, art supplies or for sensory play, the company told Consumer Reports. This includes the popular Orbeez brand of water beads, as well as ammunition for “gel blaster” guns for children.
In September, safety officials said “pose choking and intestinal obstruction hazards inside a small child’s body.” Swallowing just one water bead can cause death or severe injuries that require emergency surgery.
Target Recalls Water Bead Toys After 1 Baby Dies, Another Baby Needs Surgery
In September 2023, Target and U.S. safety officials announced a recall for about 52,000 Chuckle & Roar Water Beads Activity Kits after one baby died and another baby needed surgery after swallowing a water bead.
What Happened?
Target reported that a 10-month-old baby in Wisconsin died in July 2023 after swallowing a water bead from the recalled Chuckle & Roar Water Beads Activity Kit.
In November 2022, a 9-month-old baby in Maine swallowed a water bead and needed emergency surgery to remove a life-threatening intestinal blockage.
Target Recalls Water Bead Toys
The recalled Chuckle & Roar Water Beads Activity Kits each contain about 10,000 water beads, including some “jumbo”-size beads. These toys pose a deadly safety hazard to children, according to the recall:
“If a water bead is ingested, it expands and can pose ingestion, choking and intestinal obstruction hazards inside a child’s body, resulting in severe discomfort, vomiting, dehydration and a risk of death to a child.”
The water beads activity kits were sold exclusively at Target stores nationwide between March 2022 and November 2022.
Water Ballz Recalled After Baby in Texas Needs Surgery
In December 2012, Dunecraft recalled about 94,700 toy water balls after an 8-month-old baby from Humble, Texas needed emergency surgery to remove a Water Balz toy from her intestines.
The recall involves Water Balz, Growing Skulls, H2O Orbs “Despicable Me,” and Fabulous Flowers toy water balls that were sold between September 2010 and November 2012.
What are Water Beads?
Water beads are highly water-soluble toy balls that can grow more than 100X their original size when soaked in liquid. They can also be deadly. These candy-colored toy balls are extremely dangerous because they can expand inside the body when swallowed by a child.
What Happens When Kids Swallow Water Beads?
Babies and older children have died, choked, or needed emergency surgery to remove intestinal blockages after swallowing water beads.
Children have also been severely injured after putting water beads in their ears, up their nose, or even inhaled them into their lungs, causing severe internal organ damage when the water beads grow larger.
Water Beads — Tempting to Swallow & Easy to Lose
Water beads are highly tempting for children to swallow. They are brightly-colored like candy or jelly beans, squishy, and fun to play with. Fully-hydrated water beads may be too big to swallow, but they can dehydrate over time and shrink back down to a choking-hazard size.
This is a problem, because water beads a very easy to lose. They are small, roll away, scatter and become lost. Older children may take one home from school and lose it — until the small bead is discovered by a younger child who swallows it. Parents may have no idea of the risk.
Water Beads Cause Thousands of Hospital Visits
Safety officials have warned schools, camps, daycares, and other childcare centers to avoid water bead toys entirely. “Water beads are associated with thousands of emergency-department visits every year,” according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety commission (CPSC).
Water Beads Are Not Visible On X-Rays
Water beads are not visible on X-rays, so it may be hard for doctors to diagnose a child who has swallowed a water bead until it has caused severe damage. In many cases, the child is only properly diagnosed because a parent suspects that they swallowed a water bead.
Signs Your Child Has Swallowed a Water Bead
- Nausea or vomiting
- Constipation or lack of bowel movements
- Stomach pain
- Poor appetite
- Baby is irritable or crying excessively
- Tiredness
- Drooling
- And more
Need a Water Beads Lawyer in Texas?
Collen A. Clark is a true advocate for his clients and is passionate about helping Texans that have been injured or wronged.
Collen’s amazing success in the courtroom and well known dedication to his clients has earned him the recognition of his peers as one of The Top Trial Lawyers in Texas.”
The Clark Firm has assembled a team of trial lawyers with more than 100 years of experience, participation in over 600 jury trials, and $260 million in verdicts and/or settlements. Please use the form below to contact our law firm for a free case review.
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