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Owners of Buffalo Games’ Chuckle & Roar Ultimate Water Beads Activity Kit should take them away from their children immediately, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said Thursday, citing the death of a 10-month-old child after the child I swallowed the colorful water-absorbing beads in July.
The product, which was sold in Target stores and through the website for $15 from March 2022 to November 2022, has been recalled and consumers are entitled to a refund.
“When a bead of water is swallowed, it expands and can cause choking, suffocation and intestinal obstruction in a child’s body, which can cause severe discomfort, vomiting, dehydration and a risk of death for the child,” the commission said in a press release .
Another incident occurred last November when a 9-month-old child in Maine was seriously injured after swallowing the beads. The beads caused “an intestinal obstruction that required surgery to remove,” the release said.
In this case, the child’s mother, Folichia Mitchell, told Good Morning America that she bought the beads for her 8-year-old son. Despite placing them on the kitchen table – assuming they were out of her young daughter’s reach – the baby began vomiting days later, she said.
Hospital tests revealed a large round object in the baby’s stomach, she said. It was a water pearl.
Five surgeries followed – one to remove the pearl and four more to treat infections caused by the intestinal blockage.
According to the National Capital Poison Center, water beads are typically made of superabsorbent polymers, a synthetic substance that can grow to the size of a marble — or tennis ball — after exposure to water. The beads help hydrate plants but are also used in children’s toys that use non-toxic, super-absorbent polymers.
The recall only affects Buffalo Games’ Chuckle & Roar Ultimate Water Beads Activity Kit, sold exclusively by Target. The kit is sold in a purple box with the UPC number 079346627035 on the back.
For a refund, consumers should contact Buffalo Games at 800-637-0732, Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time, or email [email protected]. You can also visit the recall website.