Popular children's toy being pulled from the toy section by two major retailers

Walmart and Amazon have said they will no longer sell water beads marketed to children after safety concerns and serious injuries.

Water beads are small colourful balls that are super absorbent, but that also makes them a danger to children who ingest them.

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While they seem harmless enough, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) in the United States said water beads were responsible for 4,500 emergency room visits over the past four years.

The tiny beads can grow in a child's body and they don't show up on an x-ray machine which is why there is a growing call to have them banned.

When soaked in water they grow into slippery, squishy balls of fun, but if swallowed, these tiny super-expanding toys can cause vomiting, intestinal blockages, and life-threatening injuries.

Now, after extensive testing by Consumer Reports and the CPSC another danger has emerged - toxic chemicals.

“Tests found chemicals like acrylamide, a likely carcinogen that is also toxic to the brain, and BPA which has been linked to certain cancers and fertility issues,” said Lauren Kirchner with Consumer Reports.

Many packages of water beads are labeled “non- toxic” but Consumer Reports said that can be misleading.

• READ MORE: These steps should be taken if a child ingests a water bead

“’Non-toxic' is a label that you see a lot, on all kinds of different types of products, but consumers might not know that it's a term that is really under-enforced and under-regulated,” said Kirchner.

"Just because something says that it's non-toxic does not mean that it is safe and that it does not mean that this product cannot potentially poison a child,” said Ashley Haugen.

Haugen said her daughter, Kipley, continues to suffer from long-term toxic effects after she ingested a water bead years ago.

“They ended up diagnosing Kipley with toxic brain encephalopathy, which is a brain injury,” Haugen said.

Consumer Reports and other safety advocates are calling for a ban on these products. Health Canada issued an advisory earlier this year saying water beads may pose life threatening risks to young children as they can grow up to 1,5000 times their size when placed in water.

Walmart has agreed to no longer sell water beads as children's toys.

In a statement, Amazon Canada told CTV News Toronto that “in the interest of safety” the site will no longer sell water beads that are marketed to children, including as toys, art supplies or for sensory play.

“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,” the company said.

If you have water beads in your house, the best advice, according to Consumer Reports, is to throw them away.

It may take a week for the beads to be pulled from the toy section of some stores, but they could still be sold in other areas. The beads are also popular for decorating purposes used in center pieces, floating candles and flower arrangements.