![]() ![]() ![]() While there will be excess liquid when you remove a packet of balls from water, they say you should use 1.5 cups of water per each, so that equates to about 250 thousand cups of water (15,600 gallons) required for that many of them, just in case you are planning on making this yourself and want to know the math. The company says that one packet of Orbeez contains 150 balls (equaling about 3/4 of a cup after they are placed in water), so that means to get to 25 million of them Rober needed to use the equivalent of almost 167 thousand packets. The purer the water used the larger they grow, and Orbeez can get as large as half-an-inch in size (though it appears he mixed in some even larger versions here for aesthetics). They start as little tiny balls that can grow to 100-300 times their original size when soaked in water, which fills in the space between the molecules, causing the balls to swell. ![]() Basically we just want to live in the giant pool of Orbeez.įor those of you that have never heard of Orbeez before, they are a specific brand of water balls made of superabsorbent polymers that greatly expand when put in water, a product you sometimes find in flower vases, and which are commonly used in diapers and for soil irrigation (not to mention you see them in spas all the time). Look at this! We want to swim in this before summer ends, and then through fall and winter. He technically lost-he misjudged how much friction from the balls would help keep him higher in the water than normally would be expected-but this is a video only featuring winners, clearly. However, on rare occasions-if you are smart enough (like, NASA engineer smart)-you can make it so that losing is the same thing as winning, like when the bet requires you to take a dip in a swimming pool filled with 25 million Orbeez water balls. That is exactly what YouTube user Mark Rober, the former engineer at NASA (see), needed to do to answer the question of who was right, him or The Backyard Scientist, about how much someone would float in a pool full of them. Consumer Reports strongly urges that parents and caregivers keep those products out of the reach of small children.In almost all circumstances you do not want to lose a bet. The balls are found not only in toys but are also sold widely as decorations. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says it regards “the incident involving the 8-month-old girl to be very serious, and as a result CPSC staff are taking a broader look at this product class.” All types of super-absorbent polymer balls have been banned in Italy and Malaysia. However, Consumer Reports points out the company did not address the choking hazard or the potential of a blocked airway, which is a risk for all children.Īlthough additional injuries have not yet been documented in the U.S., several have been reported in other countries, including one fatality. On the front the package says, “Choking hazard … not for children under three years.” On the back it says, “Not suitable for children under the age of five.” Meanwhile Orbeez, whose beads are smaller than others on the market, says its tests show the toy is “safe for the children for whom it is intended.” Orbeez says the balls should pass through their digestive tract. The products look a lot like candy or gum, but they can expand enough within a few hours to block the intestine or airway of a small child. Though their full size is much smaller than the banned Water Balz, Consumer Reports says that they also pose a safety hazard for small children. Consumer Reports also looked at tiny polymer beads that are still on the market, including Orbeez. And then the identical ball that soaked in water for two days. Her pediatric surgeon said, “If nothing had been done, the intestines would have perforated, the child would have had significant infection and sepsis, and could have possibly died from it.”Ĭonsumer Reports examined the recalled Dunecraft Water Balz fresh out of its package. But in surgery they removed a ball almost 1 1/2 inches in diameter from her small intestine. She was rushed to the hospital, where doctors couldn’t see anything on the X-ray. It was recalled after an 8-month-old swallowed one. There are many of those super-absorbent polymer balls on the market, although one was recalled late last year-Dunecraft Water Balz. They’re colorful and alluring, but Consumer Reports says there’s a potential safety hazard with popular small toy balls and beads that expand dramatically in water. ![]()
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