Commonwealth _Canada _Water beads can be lethal if eaten, according to a Health Canada warning to parents and caregivers. According to the warning, these small beads, also known as jelly beads, hydro orbs, crystal soil, sensory beads, orb beads, are water-absorbing gel beads that can expand up to 1,500 times their original size when placed in water.
“If ingested, water beads can continue to grow inside the body leading to potentially life-threatening injuries, such as intestinal or bowel obstruction,” it states. According to Health Canada, they are frequently vividly colored, which might cause young children or persons with cognitive impairment to mistake them for candy.
The use of water beads for sensory play, which may be encouraged to parents and caregivers, may also be “very harmful” if they are put in the nose or eyes. Joey Browne, consumer product safety officer for Health Canada in the Atlantic area, advised people not to keep this product in their homes or classrooms if they are parents or guardians of children under the age of five.
The number of occurrences involving this substance is growing, he noted. Young children should not be allowed access to water beads or anything containing them. Art supplies, stress relievers, footbaths, vase fillers, and gardening equipment are a few of the things that could include water beads. Individual containers of dried water beads are also offered for sale.
According to Health Canada, there have been a number of worldwide situations where children who had consumed water beads suffered severe injuries that required immediate surgical attention. Between June 20, 2011, and January 31, 2023, six events were recorded in Canada. Three of them led to injuries, including one that was “severe.”
According to the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, there were at least 248 water-bead instances in the US between Jan. 1, 2017, and Nov. 22, 2022. Of them, 112 included ingesting something, 100 involved ear canal insertion, 35 involved putting something in the nose, and one involved an eye damage.
