Northampton County mom warns others about water beads after 11-year-old son swallows one

A mother from Bethlehem, Northampton County is speaking out with a warning to others on water beads.

Stacey Gonzalez found out that water beads can be potentially dangerous when her 11-year-old son reportedly swallowed some of them at school last month.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission says from 2016 to 2022, water beads resulted in nearly 8,000 emergency room visits.

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That's why Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey sponsored a Senate bill that would ban the sale of water beads marketed to children as toys.

Gonzalez says the sooner the bill becomes law, the better.

"Why are they still out in stores? Why do we still have access to them if they're harming our children? I really think we need to ban them immediately," she said.

The bill would also limit what colors water beads could be so that they would be less appealing to kids.