The water beads look fun and harmless, but their authors — including a mother whose daughter suffered serious injuries — want to ban them.
Ashley Haugen’s daughter Kipley developed a rash as a toddler and began throwing up. The doctors couldn’t determine what was wrong. She had swallowed the water-absorbing beads that her sister was using. When exposed to water, the beads can grow up to 100 times in size.
Haugen explained that during surgery they discovered the water beads caused a blockage in her small intestine. Because the water beads are marketed as eco-friendly, biodegradable, and non-toxic, everyone thought she would be okay.
Kipley started having problems with coordination in the weeks following. Doctors confirmed that she was suffering from developmental delays. This led to the diagnosis of toxic brain disease.
The case of Kipley was published recently in the journal Pediatrics. Haugen was one of the very first parents’ advocates to write a case study for the journal. The authors also call for warning labels on all water bead products about the dangers of ingestion.
“Water beads are manufactured from poly acrylamide, and acrylamide has been proven to be a neurotoxin. “Our consumer products and chemicals used in their manufacture are not well-regulated”, Dr. Elizabeth Friedman stated, Medical Director for Environmental Health at Children’s Mercy Kansas City.
Kipley is not the only one. According to Consumer Product Safety Commission data, more than 7,800 ingestion-related injuries were treated at U.S. emergency rooms between 2016 and 2022. In 2023, a 10-month-old died after consuming water beads.
What happened to Kipley breaks my heart. Haugen added, “It’s very healing for me to know that this pain has a reason.”
Haugen operates a website for advocacy called That Water Bead Lady, which helps families whose children were injured by consumer products.
Kipley’s message to lawmakers was: “Please work together and ban water beads.” “Lots of kids got hurt like me.”
“Kipley is making great progress.” “She still has challenges but is an amazing little activist,” her mother added.
