WAUKESHA, Wis. — Since a Mukwonago baby died from ingesting water beads, TMJ4 reporter Rebecca Klopf has been following along on the changes to children’s toys.
Three major retailers have agreed to stop selling water beads to children but a consumer group warns water beads are still on the market, some are now popping up inside of toys. However, one Waukesha toy store owner says he won’t put any form of water beads on his shelves.
Norman Bruce has made children’s safety and education his top priority for decades. First, as an elementary school principal, now as the owner of 'Martha Merrell’s Books, Toys, Gifts and More!' He said despite the popularity of water beads, he never carried them and won’t.
“We look at the national toy registry. They rate toys for safety and we take them into consideration,” said Bruce. “We have not had water beads.”
According to Consumer Reports, policy council Oriene Shin, water beads are popping up in a new trend, inside squishy toys. The advocacy group warns it doesn't make them safer and Bruce agrees.
“Being educators we looked at what might be some dangers with some toys,” said Bruce.
Last fall, TMJ4 spoke to Mukwango mom Taylor Bethard. Her 10-month-old daughter Esther died from water beads. She spoke out to us and the Consumer Product Safety Commission about her daughter's death in hopes of warning other families about the danger of water beads.
“Overall, is to make sure no family has to endure what our family has endured,” said Bethard.
Esther ingested water beads from Chuckle & Roar Ultimate Water Beads Activity Kit, according to the family attorney Daniel Mann. The toy has since been recalled from Target. But now the three major retailers, Target, Walmart, and Amazon have gone a step further and stopped selling water beads to children.
The advocacy group from Consumer Reports helped push for this change because water beads can start from the size of a sprinkle and grow inside a child with horrific results.
“When we're talking about water beads, we're talking about thousands of little tiny beads that when dry and not hitting any moisture, thousands of them being sold at one time for like for not a lot of money. And so it's really. And when these things are dry or wet, they bounce everywhere they get everywhere,” said Shin.
CPSC says from 2016-2022, there were an estimated 7,800 Emergency Room visits associated with water beads. So far there have been at least two children including Esther who have died.
“We know that babies put stuff in their mouths. And when that happens, and when the moisture hits the water bead they grow. And for a little tiny human little child, that's a big problem because it can lead to bowel obstruction which requires major surgery or even aspiration,” said Shin.
CPSC also issued an additional warning Tuesday morning about the toxicity of water beads. Leaders there say water beads from Jangostor and Tuladuo have unsafe levels of acrylamide, a carcinogen, which is a violation of the Federal Hazardous Substances Act. Both are Chinese companies that CPSC says have not agreed to an acceptable recall.
The family attorney for Taylor Bethard, Daniel Mann released this statement regarding the retailers removing water beads:
“While we are of course relieved to see that retailers have agreed to ban sales of these dangerous toys to children, this change is “too little, too late” for the Bethard family. Retailers were well aware of the dangers of water beads, and knew that there were significant injuries being caused by water bead ingestion. Yet nothing was done. We applaud the group of moms of injured children who were able to accomplish this change - something that our handcuffed CPSC was unable do. Hopefully, this decision will result in a reduction of injuries to little boys and girls around the country. “
Target’s Statement:
At Target, our top priority is the safety of our guests. Given growing safety concerns, we have decided to no longer sell water beads marketed to children ages 12 and under.
Walmart’s Statement:
“The safety of our customers will always be a top priority. We decided to voluntarily stop selling expanding water bead toy and craft items marketed to young children and have already taken steps to remove them from our stores and online.” – Walmart spokeswoman
Amazon Statement:
“In the interest of safety, Amazon no longer allows the sale of water beads that are marketed to children, including as toys, art supplies or for sensory play. We work hard to ensure the products offered in our store are safe, and we have teams dedicated to developing and updating our policies, evaluating listings, and continuously monitoring our store to prevent unsafe and noncompliant products from being listed.” – Amazon spokesperson
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