Toys Recalled After Converting to ‘Date-Rape’ Drug When Ingested

By Anastacia Mott Austin

Just when you thought it might be safe to let your kids play with toys again…

The newest toy recall to hit the public is for the small, plastic "Aqua-Dot" beads, which when sprayed with water bond to each other for craft projects and the like. About 4.2 million of the beads have been recalled.

"Aqua Dots" retail for $15 to $30, and had been named as one of the most popular toys on many retailers’ lists for holiday sales.

Several small children became comatose after ingesting the tiny beads. 20-month-old Jacob Estes fell into a coma for over six hours after eating his sister’s Aqua Dots.

"If a child ingests them the glue turns into a toxic substance and it’s very serious," said Julie Vallese, a representative from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to an interviewer on "The Early Show." Added Vallese, "We want parents very much to heed this warning."

Experts have examined the toy and reported that if ingested, the coating on the beads metabolizes in the body as gamma hydroxyl butyrate, or GHB. GHB is also known as "the date rape drug," for its ability to produce strong sedative effects and memory blackouts.

The popular toy is sold by Moose Enterprises, based in Australia (where the beads are known as Bindeez). Representatives for the company told reporters that its production of the beads is outsourced to—you guessed it—China.

The Guangdong Province, where the toy factory is located, was issued an export ban last week on over 700 toy manufacturers because of low quality standards.

The toy manufacturing industry in China has suffered numerous setbacks this year, after several recalls of toys made in China for products containing lead or small magnets that could be swallowed.

Initial testing of the product revealed that a cheaper chemical had been used in the coating of the beads. The standard coating contained 1,5-pentanediol, a compound used in glues that is considered non-toxic. But testing revealed that a chemical called 1,4-butanediol was used instead, and is an FDA Class I Health Hazard.

One reason for the switch could be that the more noxious 1,4-butanediol is considerably cheaper than the non-toxic coating. No official reasons have been given for the substitution, however.

If current testing of the toy reveals that the toxic compound is present, manufacturers in Hong Kong could face jail time and fines of up to $13,000.

Major retail outlets such as Target, Wal-Mart, and Toys R Us have all pulled "Aqua Dots" off of their shelves and websites.