Following a warning from federal safety officials that some water beads pose substantial safety risks, major merchants have discontinued selling them.

The regulations of Amazon, Walmart, and Target concerning the sale of water beads—which are usually marketed as a sensory toy for children—have been modified.

Target has confirmed to FOX Business that it will stop selling water beads that are advertised to children under the age of thirteen, both online and in-store.

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A Target representative told FOX Business, “We will no longer sell water beads marketed to children due to growing safety concerns.”

Additionally, Amazon revised its policy on water beads, stating that it will no longer carry the product if it is advertised to kids, whether as toys, painting tools, or sensory play items.
“We work hard to ensure the products offered in our store are safe, and we have teams dedicated to developing and updating our policies, evaluating listings, and continuously monitoring our store to prevent unsafe and noncompliant products from being listed,” a spokesperson for Amazon told FOX Business.

In a similar vein, Walmart informed FOX Business that it has already taken action to remove the expanding water bead toy and craft items from its stores and website, having decided to “voluntarily stop selling them.”

Consumer Reports was informed by the company that children under the age of nine are covered by this.

Alexander Hoehn-Saric, the chair of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, stated in September that the product has the potential to grow and can “pose choking and intestinal obstruction hazards inside a small child’s body.”
Per the commission, this may result in “severe discomfort, vomiting, dehydration and a risk of death to the child.”

Safety officials had previously received reports from “many parents” whose children had consumed the substance and either experienced “severe injuries” or even passed away.

The number of reports the CPSC received about this product was not disclosed.