Walmart, Target And Amazon Stop Carrying Product That Killed Children, Clogs Plumbing

Several major retailers announced Wednesday that they would stop carrying a product that killed children and clogged plumbing.

Orbeez, a popular brand of water beads, will be removed for sale at Amazon, Target and Walmart after the sensory toy was responsible for multiple incidents within the past several years, ABC News reported.

Children reportedly suffered injury and death from Orbeez, including incidents of swallowing the small balls or placing them in their ears or nose, the outlet reported. When exposed to water, the hazardous polymer spheres can “expand up to the size of a tennis ball,” roughly 150 to 1,500 times their initial size, according to the National Capital Poison Center.

“It’s a miserable, miserable feeling to lose your child. No parent should ever have to go through that. And if we can just save a few kids by sharing, then it’s worth it for us to share,” Taylor Bethard, whose daughter died after swallowing Orbeez, said.

French YouTuber Cyril Schreiner reportedly wrecked his toilet and bathroom drains after filling his pipes with Orbeez, Pedestrian reported. (RELATED: Five Women Reportedly Clog Toilet Leading To Brawl At Chicken Wing Restaurant)

The three retailers each issued statements to “Good Morning America” against the sale of Orbeez products, according to ABC News.

“In the interest of safety, Amazon will no longer allow the sale of water beads that are marketed to children, including as toys, art supplies or for sensory play,” an Amazon statement said. “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.”

“At Target, our top priority is the safety of our guests. Given growing safety concerns, we will no longer sell water beads marketed to children.” a Target spokesperson said.

“The safety of our customers will always be a top priority,” a Walmart spokesperson said. “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.”