WASHINGTON — Millions of Chinese-made toys have been pulled from shelves in North America and Australia after scientists found they contain a chemical that converts into a powerful “date rape” drug when ingested. Two children in the U.S. and three in Australia were hospitalized after swallowing the beads.
In the United States, the toy goes by the name Aqua Dots, distributed by Toronto-based Spin Master Toys. It is called Bindeez in Australia.
Moose Enterprises said Bindeez and Aqua Dots are made at the same factory, in Shenzhen in China’s Guangdong province. Last week, the Chinese government announced an export ban on more than 700 toy factories in the region because of shoddy products.
The toy beads can be arranged into designs and fused when sprayed with water. 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 recall was announced by the Consumer Product Safety Commission on Wednesday several hours after published reports about the recall in Australia.
The two U.S. children who swallowed Aqua Dot beads went into nonresponsive comas, commission spokesman Scott Wolfson said Wednesday. A 20-month-old has recovered completely while the other child, whose age was not known, has been released from a hospital after five days and is recovering, he said.
In Australia, three children were treated.
Meanwhile, a separate recall was announced for 405,000 children’s products made in China, most of them toy cars, because of lead levels.
Recall details
For a full list of recalls, visit or call 800-638-2772.
