New regulations for water bead toys focus on safety

Key takeaways:

Thousands of children in the U.S. have been injured after ingesting water beads.

New regulations limit the maximum expansion size and acrylamide levels, and they require a warning label on water bead toys.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, or CPSC, voted 2-0 to approve new safety standards for water bead toys, the agency recently announced.

Water beads are superabsorbent polymer balls that can grow to more than 100 times their size in liquid. They are used for gardening, home decor and toys.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission voted 2-0 approving new rules for water bead toys to prevent ingestion-related injuries. Image: Adobe Stock .

Water beads pose serious dangers to small children who could swallow them or insert them into their nose or ears b