Water Balz Toys Recalled Over Ingestion Hazard

Santa won’t be packing his sleigh with Water Balz this holiday season.

The water-absorbing toy that can grow almost 400 times its original size was recalled by Dunecraft Inc. for posing an ingestion hazard to small children, according to an announcement from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Health Canada.

Dunecraft Inc. voluntarily recalled around 95,000 Water Balz, Growing Skulls, H2O Orbs "Despicable Me," and Fabulous Flowers toys in the U.S .and Canada, according to regulators.

In August 2011, Dunecraft received a complaint regarding an eight-month-old Texas girl who swallowed a Water Balz, which had to be surgically removed. When this tiny toy is swallowed, it enlarges inside the body and causes obstruction in the small intestines, leading to acute discomfort, nausea, dehydration, and may cause a life-threatening medical condition.

Since the toys go undetected in X-rays, they have to be surgically removed.

The recalled Water Balz and Growing Skulls were sold at Bed Bath & Beyond, Five Below, Hobby Lobby, Lakeshore Learning Materials, Microcenter, Urban Outfitters Direct, Wegmans, and other stores nationwide and online at amazon.com, incrediblescience.com, keyporthobbies.com, americantoystores.com, and other websites from September 2010 to November 2012. The H2O Orbs "Despicable Me" were sold exclusively at Universal Studios stores during June 2012, and the Fabulous Flowers were sold exclusively at Milaeger's between June to November 2012.

The CPSC has advised consumers to immediately discard these toys and contact Dunecraft for a free replacement.

If you or a loved one has been harmed by an unsafe children's product, contact Sokolove Law for a free legal consultation and to find out if a product liability lawyer may be able to help you.

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