Amazon, Walmart and Target stop selling certain water beads
Amazon, Walmart, Target changed their policies for selling the product
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Major retailers have stopped selling certain water beads after federal safety regulators warned that they pose serious safety risks.
Amazon, Walmart and Target have changed their policies regarding selling water beads, which are typically marketed as a sensory toy for kids.
Target confirmed to FOX Business that the company will no longer sell water beads that are marketed to children under 13 years old both in-store and online.
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"Given growing safety concerns, we will no longer sell water beads marketed to children," a Target spokesperson told FOX Business.
Amazon also updated its policy on water beads and will no longer sell the product if it is marketed to children, including as toys, art supplies or for sensory play.
Different color hydrogel balls. (iStock / Yevhen Roshchyn / iStock)
"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," an Amazon spokesperson told FOX Business.
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Similarly, Walmart told FOX Business that it decided to "voluntarily stop selling expanding water bead toy and craft items marketed to young children" and that it has already taken steps to remove them from stores and online.
The company told Consumer Reports that this applies to children under 9 years old.
In September, Consumer Product Safety Commission Chair Alexander Hoehn-Saric announced that the product, if swallowed, can expand and "pose choking and intestinal obstruction hazards inside a small child’s body."
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TGT | TARGET CORP. | 156.56 | +4.43 | +2.91% |
| WMT | WALMART INC. | 84.08 | -0.17 | -0.20% |
| AMZN | AMAZON.COM INC. | 201.70 | -0.91 | -0.45% |
The commission said that this could cause "severe discomfort, vomiting, dehydration and a risk of death to the child."
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The safety regulators previously heard from "numerous parents" whose children suffered "grievous injuries" or even died after ingesting the product.
The CPSC did not disclose the number of reports they received regarding this product.