‘Esther’s Law’ bill, introduced this week to the US Senate, proposes a ban on the sale of water beads designed or marketed as children’s toys, sensory tools or educational or art materials.
NBC News’ Aria Bendix has reported that water beads made of super absorbent polymer could be banned under a new bill named in honour of Esther Jo Bethard, a 10-month-old girl who passed away after swallowing one of the objects.
Water beads are capable of absorbing large volumes of liquid, meaning they can swell to large sizes and block airways and gastrointestinal tracts, as well as auditory and nasal passages. They often do not show up on X-rays. The beads have been around for a number of years, but an increase in emergency room visits related to water bead injuries – and the tragic death of Esther – has led to the introduction of the bipartisan Esther’s Law bill, sponsored by sponsored by Democratic Senators Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, and Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine.
Between 2018-2022, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reportedly recorded nearly 7,000 emergency room visits for injuries related to water bead ingestion. The CPSC is now being called upon to ban the sale of water beads intended for use by children, including as sensory aids, arts & crafts materials or in toys, such as those use in gel blasters.
The bill also urges the CPSC to apply warning labels to packages of beads intended for use by adults and to consider whether the use of bright colours for the beads – which are sometimes mistaken for sweets – should be curtailed.
In a statement, Senator Tammy Baldwin said: “Parents buy toys and educational materials for their kids with the understanding those products are safe for their children. Sadly, with water beads that is just not the case. We need to do more to prevent kids from ingesting these dangerous products and give parents the confidence they deserve that the toys they buy are safe.”
In the UK, concerns over the use of SAP beads resulted in the British Toy & Hobby Association’s Jerry Burnie OBE issuing a safety update, though the guidance related to gel blasters intended for children over 14 years of age. Japan has already banned ‘beads that expand when saturated’ as of June 2023.
US retailers Amazon, Target and Walmart stopped selling water beads in December 2023.
