Urgent Safety Alert Issued for Water Beads

The Office for Product Safety and Standards has issued an alert to parents and childcare settings warning that water beads should be kept away from all children under 5.

When dry, water beads are tiny and can be easily swallowed without detection. As they bathe in stomach fluids, they expand to many times their original size, posing a serious risk of blockage in a child's bowel. Water beads are readily available to buy online, and most come with no warnings about the danger of children swallowing them.  Water beads don’t show up on X-ray, so finding them can be really complicated and a child may need major surgery to remove them.

Visit the Child Accident Prevention Trust website to learn more and download their water beads poster to spread the message that water beads can be dangerous and should be kept away from young children.