Health

Consumer watchdog issues choking warning over water beads toys

CCPC says toys - which have become popular on social media - pose a ‘serious threat for babies and toddlers’

Water beads, which are also known as gel beads, sensory beads and by a number of trademarked names, are made of a “superabsorbent polymer and can retain hundreds of times their weight in water”. Picture: Getty

Product safety experts at the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) have issued a warning to parents about water beads, a product used increasingly as a toy.

Water beads, which are also known as gel beads, sensory beads and by a number of trademarked names, are made of a “superabsorbent polymer and can retain hundreds of times their weight in water”, according to the CCPC.

Due to an increase in popularity of the product, particularly ...