Safety warning over water bead gifts for children

Emergency doctors successful the UK person issued a information informing implicit h2o beads, which could beryllium fixed to children arsenic gifts implicit Christmas.

The beads, besides known arsenic jelly balls, sensory beads, oregon h2o crystals are marketed arsenic crafting tools and homeware items - but besides toys.

They are typically lone a fewer millimetres but immoderate tin grow up to 400 times their archetypal size successful astir 36 hours erstwhile exposed to liquid, creating a hidden danger. If a kid swallows one, they tin origin bowel obstruction and the consequences tin beryllium fatal.

The Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) advises that the beads should beryllium kept good distant from children aged nether five.

The "safety flash" is for doctors to marque definite they cognize what to look retired for portion connected duty, but the assemblage besides wants parents and carers of beryllium alert of the dangers.

The beads are not disposable connected X-rays.

They tin besides origin choking and person harmed children successful the UK, with reports linking them to deaths overseas, the government's Office for Product Safety and Standards said successful September.

Its information alert added the beads should lone utilized with older children oregon susceptible adults nether adjacent supervision.

The RCEM advises parents and carers to question aesculapian attraction instantly if determination is immoderate suspicion a kid whitethorn person swallowed a h2o bead.

"Having seen the effects archetypal hand, which tin beryllium devastating and detrimental, we are asking radical to delight deliberation doubly astir the dangers these airs portion selecting and gifting presents this season," Dr Salwa Malik, vice president of the RCEM, told PA Media.

The RCEM alert besides highlights the imaginable information to children and susceptible adults of fastener oregon coin batteries and magnets, if swallowed.