Reason for the recall
- The product presents a serious risk as it contains water beads which can expand when soaked, causing blockages within the digestive tract.
Reasonsee the original notice
BrandLetterbox Lab
Batch number(s)not stated
Barcodenot stated
Product
Letterbox Lab Explore Box 9 and Investigate Box 9 Child’s Science Experiment Kit containing Water Beads
- Brand
- Letterbox Lab
- Name / model
- Explore Box 9 / chain reactions and Investigate Box 9
- Category
- Toys
- Country of origin
- United Kingdom
- Type of recall
- Product safety report
- Summary
- Product: Letterbox Lab Explore Box 9 and Investigate Box 9 Child’s Science Experiment Kit containing Water Beads
- Hazard: The product presents a serious risk as it contains water beads which can expand when soaked, causing blockages within the digestive tract.
- Corrective action: Letterbox Labs have warned owners of the risks of water beads, and withdrawn water beads from their experiment kit boxes.
- Product information
- Type
- Toys - Science Experiment Kit featuring Expanding Water Beads
- Brand
- Letterbox Lab
- Model
- Explore Box 9 / chain reactions and Investigate Box 9
- Country of Origin
- United Kingdom
- Product Description
- Kids science kit for kids aged 6+, containing 3 experiments, one of which includes a small plastic bag of expanding water beads. Packaged in a purple cardboard box.
- Product Report and Image
- Link to product image and PDF
- Hazard
- The product presents a serious health risk as it includes water beads that expand to more than 50% of their original size within 12 hours of soaking them in water. If the small, dehydrated bead is swallowed by a young child, the bead may expand inside the digestive tract causing a blockage. The product also presents a risk of asphyxiation as if a bead is swallowed in its hydrated form, it may block a young child’s airway leading to aspiration.
- OPSS has published a Product Safety Alert for water beads, which can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/product-safety-alerts-reports-recalls/product-safety-alert-water-beads-psa7
- The product does not meet the requirements of the Toys (Safety) Regulations 2011 or the Food Imitations (Safety) Regulations 1989.
- Corrective action
- Letterbox Lab have issued a safety warning to affected consumers advising them of the risks associated with water beads.
- Affected consumers should dispose of the water beads immediately with your household waste or ensure that they are stored safely out of reach of children and animals. Letterbox Lab have removed all water beads from Letterbox Lab Boxes.
- Additional information
- PSD case number: 2501-0087
- Notified by: Local Authority Trading Standards
What to do
- Letterbox Labs have warned owners of the risks of water beads, and withdrawn water beads from their experiment kit boxes.
- Product information
- Type
- Toys - Science Experiment Kit featuring Expanding Water Beads
Source: Product Safety Alerts, Reports and Recalls (OPSS) — Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS)
Source: Office for Product Safety and Standards, GOV.UK. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. EU Safety Radar is an independent information service; the text above presents the official data in the original language — the notice published by the authority is authoritative.
Open the original notice (www.gov.uk) ↗ Official document (PDF) ↗