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Date rape drug found on Chinese-made toy

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published November 8, 2007

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 United States and three in Australia were hospitalized after swallowing the beads.

In the United States, the toy goes by the name Aqua Dots, a highly popular holiday toy distributed by Spin Master Toys of Toronto. They are called Bindeez in Australia, where they were named toy of the year at an industry function earlier this year.

Moose Enterprises said Bindeez and Aqua Dots are made at the same Chinese factory. The company said that the product is distributed in 40 countries but that it was up to the individual countries and distributors to determine whether the product would be pulled.

The toy beads are sold in general merchandise stores and over the Internet for use in arts and crafts projects. They can be arranged into designs and fused together 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.

Naren Gunja from Australia's Poisons Information Center said the drug's effect on children was "quite serious ... and potentially life-threatening."

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 afternoon. 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.

The news jolted the toy industry because Aqua Dots has been one of the few bright stars of the selling season. The item, which had been heavily advertised, had appeared on many toy experts' list of must-have holiday toys.

FAST FACTS:

Separate recalls for other toys

-About 380,000 Pull-Back Action Toy Cars sold at Dollar General stores from April through October. Return the products to any Dollar General, call toll-free 1-800-678-9258 or visit www.dollargeneral.com.

-About 7,500 Dragster and Funny Car toys sold at National Hot Rod Association events through door-to-door sales from March through September. Return the toys to International Sourcing, call toll-free 1-877-404-1584 or visit www.islpromotions.com.

-About 1,300 Dizzy Ducks Music Box products sold at specialty toy stores and gift shops nationwide from March through October. Call toll-free 1-800-767-8697 or visit www.schylling.com.

-About 3,600 Winnie-the-Pooh Spinning Top products sold at specialty toy stores and gift shops from April through November in 2003. Call toll-free 1-800-767-8697 or visit www.schylling.com.

-About 3,500 Duck Family Collectible Wind-Up Toy products sold at specialty toy stores and gift shops from January through August. Call toll-free 1-800-767-8697 or visit www.schylling.com.

-About 2,600 Robot 2000 collectible tin robot products sold at specialty toy stores and gift shops nationwide from October 2006 through September 2007. Call toll-free 1-800-767-8697 or visit www.schylling.com.

-About 7,200 Big Red Wagons sold through the Northern Tool & Equipment catalog, Web site and stores from July through September. Return toys to Northern Tool stores, call toll-free 1-800-222-5381 or visit www.northerntool.com.

[Last modified November 8, 2007, 00:42:01]