Experts are warning parents about the hidden risks associated with the new water absorbing balls available in the markets, named Water Balz. The balls in a wide range of colors contain superabsorbent polymer and can swell to the size of a racquetball.
Health practitioners have raised concern over the risks of small children swallowing these gel balls after Dr. Oluyinka Olutoye, a pediatric surgeon at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston reported the case of an eight-month-old girl who was rushed to the emergency care and nearly died after swallowing one of the water balls. The case has been published Monday in the journal Pediatrics.
"Kids swallow things all the time," Dr. Olutoye, author of the report, told The New York Times. "Most of the time, objects that are small enough to get into the stomach will pass through without causing any problem. But this type of material is made to absorb water, and over time it keeps growing and growing and gets to a size where it can't get through the digestive tract."
The little girl was admitted to the hospital after she suffered from stomach pain and her parents doubted her swallowing one of the Water Balz that has the capacity to grow 400 times bigger in water.
Tests and x-rays showed something blocking the baby's intestine and her stomach kept on expanding. As a last option, doctors operated the baby and took out a big water ball.
Even though the product label carries warning about the risks associated with kids below three, the health experts urge parents to take extra precaution to avoid such accidents in the future.
Toy-related injuries are one of the serious problems faced by parents, not only in the country but also in the whole world. According to a national network for child care (nncc.org), 150,000 toy related injuries are reported every year across the country.
Earlier this year, a similar concern was raised after a large number of children were rushed to hospitals for swallowing small, powerful magnets and small batteries.
In another surprising case, a six -year-old boy from Salt Lake City lived three years with a Lego piece stuck up inside his nose.
