New Jersey Walmart Stores Ban the Sale of This Product

Walmart has announced they are joining other national retailers in banning the sale of a product that is considered dangerous.

Walmart Will No Longer Sell This Product

Walmart is joining Amazon and Target saying they will stop selling water beads.

Pressure has been growing in recent years to remove the products following reports of injuries and deaths of children who have swallowed them or placed them in their noses or ears.

What Are Water Beads?

Water beads, often sold as toys, in craft kits, as sensory tools for children with developmental disabilities, or for agricultural use, are small, water-absorbing, colorful balls of super-absorbent polymer.

They were promoted as an ideal toy for children with sensory processing disorders, helping them with color recognition, counting & fine motor skills, and language development.

What is the Danger From Water Beads?

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, water beads can grow to 1,500 times their original size when exposed to water.

Ingested water beads can continue to grow inside the body. This can cause severe discomfort, vomiting, dehydration, intestinal blockages, and life-threatening injuries, and may require surgery to remove the water beads.

Water beads are also a danger when inserted into ears and can damage ear structures, causing hearing loss and requiring surgery.

Water beads are associated with thousands of emergency department visits every year.

Walmart Issues Statement on Discontinuing Sale of Water Beads

"The safety of our customers will always be a top priority," a Walmart spokesperson told ABC's Good Morning America.

"We decided to voluntarily stop selling expanding water bead toy and craft items marketed to young children and have already taken steps to remove them from our stores and online."