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Water Walking | New and Dangerous Recreational Activity

CPSC knows of two incidents involving these products. In one, a child was found unresponsive after being inside the ball for a short time. The child required medical attention. In another, a person inside a ball suffered a fracture when the ball fell out of a shallow, above-ground pool onto the hard ground.

Here’s what you should know:

• These balls are airtight. Because of this, carbon dioxide can accumulate inside the ball. High carbon dioxide and low oxygen levels … makes it very difficult to breathe. Such a dangerous scenario can occur in just a few minutes.
• Most balls have no emergency exit. They can be opened ONLY by a person outside the ball.
• These balls are not padded. This means that injuries can happen if the balls – and the people inside — collide with each other, strike hard objects like a pier or a buoy, or simply fall out of the pool onto concrete or another hard surface.

Before you take these risks – or let your child take these risks – understand that CPSC does not know of any safe way to use this product.  www.cpsc.gov - Consumer Product Safety Commission

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