Amazon, Target, Walmart to Stop Selling Water Beads Marketed to Children

The three top U.S. retailers—Amazon, Target, and Walmart—have announced they’re suspending sales of water-bead products marketed to young children due to growing safety concerns. The small, colorful balls—sometimes no larger than a pinhead—are made of superabsorbent polymers that can grow to 100 times their original size when exposed to water. They are often sold as toys, including in craft activity kits, and as sensory tools for children with developmental disabilities. Ingestion of water beads, however, may lead to severe discomfort, injury, and even death. “And while most even still pass through the gut without trouble, occasionally they swell to a size where they actually obstruct the bowel,” said Dr. Joshua King, medical director of the Maryland Poison Center....