Warning issued about dangers of water-absorbing beads

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Authorities in WA are warning of the dangers of small water absorbing polymer beads, commonly used by florists, after two children were treated in hospital after ingesting them.

The consumer protection division of the Department of Commerce said a two-year-old boy was injured in the Mid West city of Geraldton after swallowing 12 beads, while another child was admitted to Princess Margaret Hospital in Perth.

Consumer Protection’s director of retail and services Dave Hillyard said the material was also marketed to children in the form of toys and novelty items that could expand up to 400 times their original size when wet.

“You could imagine if someone put a handful of these things down their gullet, you’re obviously going to end up with quite a bit of product expanding inside your body over that 12 to 24 hours,” he said.

He said the beads were traditionally used by florists to hold flowers in place at stalls.

“In the sachet is literally hundreds of small pinhead sized beads, they’re very brightly coloured,” he said.

“I guess they look like the hundreds and thousands you see on lollies and cakes.”

Mr Hillyard said swallowing the beads could potentially obstruct airways, posing a choking and suffocation hazard, or block the intestines or bowel as they expand inside the body.

He was aware of instances overseas where children had required surgery to have the expanded beats removed from their body.

The death of a child in Pakistan due to ingestion of the beads has also been reported to the watchdog.

“They’ve been banned in a number of other countries,” he said.

“We are aware that there are products available on the internet and being marketed in other countries where these things are being sold as being part of a toy set-up where children turn these beads into various shapes.

“There are a number of other products which look like miniature fish, miniature crabs, dinosaurs and fairies sold for kids to watch grow into something bigger.

“Perhaps if you’re doing a bit of science experiment as an older child, that’s fine, but if you’ve got little kids around the family, if one pops them in their mouth and swallows them, that’s what we’re worried about.”

He said the material showed up on X-rays.