Toys Linked To "Date Rape" Drug Pulled

Aqua Dots Metabolize Into GHB When Swallowed And Can Cause Comas

(CBS/AP)  China-made toys seized in Hong Kong were being tested Thursday after scientists in Australia found that similar toys contained a chemical that converts into a powerful 'date rape' drug when ingested, officials said.

At least five children in the United States and Australia have been hospitalized after swallowing the toy beads, which are used in arts and crafts projects. They can be arranged into designs and fused when sprayed with water.

"They look like brightly colored little candies and they're manufactured in China, where, as you know, they're cutting corners in these factories, using toxic chemicals," Early Show co-anchor Hannah Storm remarked Thursday during an interview of Julie Vallese, spokesperson for the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Australian scientists say a chemical coating on the beads, when ingested, metabolizes into the so-called date-rape drug gamma hydroxy butyrate. When eaten, the compound - made from common and easily available ingredients - can induce unconsciousness, seizures, drowsiness, coma and death.

The toys were sent to a laboratory in Hong Kong for tests, a customs official said, requesting anonymity in line with policy.

If the tests come back positive for the chemical, suppliers of the toy in Hong Kong could face jail terms of one year and fines of $12,877, she said.

The toys are called Bindeez in Australia, where they were named toy of the year at an industry function this year, and in the United States they go by the name Aqua Dots.

Retailer Toys "R" Us said in a statement it pulled all the toy beads from its stores in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia after officials in Australia ordered them off the shelves Tuesday.

"We were alerted just this week of the incidents, and this was lightning speed to get this product off the shelves," Vallese told The Early Show. "We want parents to act equally as fast, making sure that they take this product away from their kids."

A woman whose toddler son ingested a popular toy that contains a chemical that turns into a powerful "date rape" drug when eaten said she knew he was ill when he began to stumble, seemed drunk and started vomiting.

The mother, Shelby Esses, said her 20-month-old son Jacob, fell down and was limp after getting into his older sister's Aqua Dots.

"And that's when we knew what he had eaten and that things were pretty bad," she told ABC's "Good Morning America."

A company spokeswoman for Moose Enterprises' Hong Kong office said the production of the toy was outsourced to a mainland Chinese factory. She refused to elaborate and referred all further requests for comment to the company's head office in Australia.

"Our Hong Kong office is only responsible for operations such as logistics and shipping arrangements, we don't have any firsthand information," the employee, who would only give her surname, Lo, told The Associated Press.

Moose Enterprises earlier said Bindeez and Aqua Dots were made at the same factory in Shenzhen, in China's southern Guangdong province. The company said the product is distributed in 40 countries.

The toys were supposed to use 1,5-pentanediol, a nontoxic compound found in glue, but instead contained the harmful 1,4-butanediol, which is widely used in cleaners and plastics.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1999 declared the chemical a Class I Health Hazard, meaning it can cause life-threatening harm.

Both chemicals are manufactured in China and elsewhere, including by major multinational companies, and are also marketed over the Internet.

It's not clear why 1,4-butanediol was substituted. However, there is a significant difference in price between the two chemicals. The Chinese online trading platform ChemNet China lists the price of 1,4 butanediol at between about $1,350-$2,800 per metric ton, while the price for 1,5-pentanediol is about $9,700 a ton.

Vallese says parents should be vigilant.

"Look in the carpets. Look under the sofa. Make sure that none of these little beads are just stray around your house because we don't want them in the hands of children, and we certainly don't want them to ingest them at all," she told The Early Show.

Editor's note: The quote of Hannah Storm in the third paragraph of this story was earlier attributed to Julie Vallese.

[gygls73]

"You and Taylor613 are one and the same, gygls73?

Posted by ibsteve2u at 08:53 AM : Nov 08, 2007"

No. I was just wanting to hear the full story. Not some journalist overtalking the persone she was interviewing. It''s just that simple. I don''t who Taylor is or why you are asking me if I am that person or what it pertains to this particular story.

But if you need my bio.. I have 2 daughters.. one whom has a disability. I am married... with a house in the middle of the midwest. I have a dog and a cat. And I am in my mid 30''s.

And I wanted to hear what the lady was saying... not Hannah Storm overtalking and being RUDE.

Anything else you REQUIRE to know about?

[shaali123]

we should protect ourselves and our children!! do not buy any thing made in china. It can be done. Bring business back to the US.

[sandstress77]

This is an outrage! Why doesn''t our government BAN anything made in China?

In light of all the recent recalls of toys from China, I have come up with an extensive list of links to companies that sell toys MADE IN THE U.S.A. I believe that we as Americans, need to stop buying toys from China. There have been too many recalls, mostly for lead based paint, and now GHB! This is really getting out of hand and something needs to be done before too many of our children are injured or killed by poisoned toys.

Please check out:
http://americanmadetoys.googlepages.com/americanmadetoys

I believe this site is a helpful guide to parents and others who are buying toys for children this holiday season.

[zootallures2]

Is the US and A gonna invade Austrialia next? Traitors...LMAO!!!!

[zootallures2]

Toys Linked To "Date Rape" Drug
I can hear the neo-cons who just bought a ton viagra... those filty Austrailians, I thought they were with us!!!

[zootallures2]

Good thing the troops are fighting to keep the weath and power in the hands of those who will stop anything from being made in the USA!

Our sacrade holy patriotic heroes... yippy!

[zootallures2]

Made in USA? Na... anything but that. That''s worse than giving kids date rape drugs.

[starleo146]

LOL--there''''s nothing funnier than watching conservatives start crying like Ralph Nader about consumer protection when it comes to foreign manufacturers. What''''s a matter, all you capitalists? Won''''t the market take care of this problem? It takes care of everything else, right?

Posted by Candide777 at 04:53 PM : Nov 08, 2007

It is obvious you do not understand the problem at all, for that I do not apologize for anything I said. We have protections in our government that should take care of this problem before it happens and they are not doing the job and for that they need to be replaced before some child dies, or down the road comes down with some disease that will eventually kill them. so go ahead and LOL all you want I will do all I can to make sure these imports from China get better or stop.

[zootallures2]

I remember getting a call from Austrailia saying they woren''t sure they could contain the toys (or the buyers). Maybe the smartest thing to do is pull it.

[jimc52]

By the way, it isn''t the government that imports this poison into our country, its the famous "THEY," as in US Marketers and Import/Export Agents. I think we need to ask the question, "WHO ARE THE IMPORTERS?"
Do you know their names? Do you know where they work? Do you KNOW the names of their companies?
So far, the US Govt hasn''t done *** to bring criminal prosecution against these marketers and import/exporters. I say, force THEM to be responsible, not the Govt, for ensuring product safety. Right now, they get away with being the hidden "middle men," the notorious "them."

[jimc52]

I have a fast cure for the problem. Make members of the Chinese Communist Party have to eat every food exported to the US and suck on every toy exported to the US. A few dead Chinese officials and I guarantee, there would be a stop put to this epidemic of poisoned food and toys. I am not convinced by any means, that the Chinese aren''t doing this on purpose and they never thought they would get caught "RED" handed, ha ha ha! It''s not so funny, is it, when it is YOUR child who sucks on poisoned toys or it is YOUR dog or cat that dies from the poison being sent by the Chinese to us. They want to see us dead anyway. I keep telling everyone, they are still communists...but big business doesn''t give a S**T.

[zootallures2]

Just not buying them while insisting on a smaller government with no regulation or accountability won''''''''t work, it feeds the problem. " posted by j-whitman

How rediculous. Things would be made locally by people you know face to face!

[erasmus6]

j-whitman

If all people stopped buying things from China, the government would have no choice but to stop bringing it in. It wouldn''t happen immediately, at least with the U.S. because you are more dependent on their products than we are.

[erasmus6]

"-- Just not buying them while insisting on a smaller government with no regulation or accountability won''''t work, it feeds the problem. " posted by j-whitman

We do get a lot of stuff from China but nowhere near what the U.S. gets. And we do have regulations and accountability. I think here we test our products more than the U.S. They say that something is pulled and tested from every unit. Now of course you are always going to have s-c-r-e-w ups. I can tell you what the difference is going to be between our two countries though, now that this has come out, THE PEOPLE will stand up and FORCE the government to make changes.

One of the things that needs to be done is we need to get a law passed where all companies have to list ALL ingredients and where they are from. They should NOT be allowed to put MADE IN CANADA OR U.S.A. unless all ingredients come from our countries.

[zootallures2]

Made in China is a conspiracy theory from tin fiol hat loonies.

You are reading it backwards. It''s Anihc, which is just Spanish for USA... LOL!

[candide777]

What about our wonderful physoctic President, Kids are his last priority look at SHIP, and China he supports, and so he will not stop China imports, in my letters I requested just that, and large fines to these toy co.''''s and fire the consumer protection agency Nord.
Posted by starleo146 at 04:22 PM : Nov 08, 2007

LOL--there''s nothing funnier than watching conservatives start crying like Ralph Nader about consumer protection when it comes to foreign manufacturers. What''s a matter, all you capitalists? Won''t the market take care of this problem? It takes care of everything else, right?

[candide777]

Is this the same toy Larry Craig was handing out to school boys on Halloween?

[j-whitman]

erasmus6,,,,, We need government leadership that believes in holding countries accountable, & strong consumer protection -
-- Just not buying them while insisting on a smaller government with no regulation or accountability won''t work, it feeds the problem.

[signof4]

I''ll bet Bill Clinton hit all the Toys R Us stores within 100 miles of his NY home! :)

[starleo146]

Hey all you Americans out there. Let''''s quite talking and do something about this. Enough is enough. Let''''s write our Congressman and Representatives and tell them to stop all imports from China. If that does not work, let''''s quit buying products made in China. It will be tough to do, I know since it seems everything is made in China these days. But until the masses say "NO MORE", it will continue!

Posted by kro16 at 01:37 PM : Nov 08, 200

I already did that, have not heard one word from any of them the do-do''s. I am just outraged by this, with the labeling they have we have no way of knowing where the he11 this stuff comes from. What about our wonderful physoctic President, Kids are his last priority look at SHIP, and China he supports, and so he will not stop China imports, in my letters I requested just that, and large fines to these toy co.''s and fire the consumer protection agency Nord.