SAN DIEGO -- Manufacturers of a seemingly harmless toy may be exporting trouble to children in the United States in the form of the Yo-Yo Water ball.

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Yo-Yo Danger

The mushy, water filled balls are made from petroleum products (and smell like it, too), and light up like a torch when they come in contact with an open flame.

The Troubleshooter took some of the popular bungee balls to the Expert Chemical Analysis lab in Sorrento Valley for testing.

Chemist Jim Polansky said the water inside does not appear to be toxic, but the ball itself is made from diesel hydrocarbons.

Polansky was stunned when he held a lighter to a piece of this diesel gel ball. It caught fire instantly and burned so hot it broke the lab dish beneath it.

Polansky said the Yo-Yo Water ball is extremely flammable.

The Troubleshooter got the same results at the San Diego office of the California Poison Control Center at UCSD.

Director Dr. Richard Clark also conducted a water ball burn, and found the water inside did nothing to slow the flames. Dr. Clark said the diesel in the ball itself can also be toxic. He said the cord attached to the ball can be dangerous, as well.

One child was strangled on the cord in New York, where the state has now recalled the toy.

Dr. Clark urges parents to keep the water ball out of the hands of young children.

San Diego Fire Marshal Samuel Oates agreed. Oates said the ball is a very dangerous toy and should be pulled off the market.

There are currently more than 30 different types of water balls made in China and Taiwan and sold into the United States by many companies.

If you allow your children to play with one of these toys make sure the packaging identifies the companies that make and sell them, so you know who to contact if you have a problem.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission is now investigating concerns raised by the Troubleshooter. For more information or to file a complaint contact the Commission online at www.cpsc.gov.

For more on the New York state recall contact the Consumer Protection Board at the state of New York.