Thursday November 8, 2007, 6:37 pm
The move comes after Australian authorities discovered this week that the toys contained a substance that metabolised into the date-rape drug fantasy or GHB when eaten.

In North America, 4.2 million packages of the beads, known as Aqua Dots there and Bindeez elsewhere, have been recalled.

Two US children slipped into comas after swallowing the Aqua Dot beads, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission said.

CPSC spokeswoman Julie Vallese said the children had gone into "unresponsive, comatose" conditions but had since recovered.

"The coating on the beads that causes the beads to stick to each other when water is added contains a chemical that can turn toxic when many are ingested,'' the commission said.

"Children who swallow the beads can become comatose, develop respiratory depression, or have seizures.''

The commission did not say what the chemical was but Australian officials said the toys released a substance that metabolised into the date-rape drug GHB when swallowed.

Four Australian children were taken to hospital after falling unconscious when they ingested the beads.

The Australian company behind the product, Moose Enterprises, has issued a voluntary recall, saying children's health is of paramount importance.

Spanish authorities have also ordered the toy kits to be recalled.

The National Consumers Institute did not say how many toys were affected by the recall.

British stores began taking the popular toy off their shelves on Wednesday.

Toys R Us said it had pulled all the toy beads from its stores in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia.

Consumer and enterprise chiefs from the European Union and United States will meet in Washington today to agree on worldwide standards for global toy safety after a spate of recalls of Chinese-made toys.

An 18-month-old NSW boy is the latest child in Australia to fall ill after eating the beads.

He is in a stable condition in Newcastle's John Hunter Hospital.

"I can't stress loudly enough, across Australia we have banned the product from sale and the ban is now extending around the world," NSW Fair Trading Minister Linda Burney said.

Two New Zealand toddlers have also fallen ill after swallowing the beads.

Friday November 9, 2007, 7:43 am
Noted, Ali. I did not know about Aqua Dots and Bendeez until two weeks ago and I have been busily trying to learn as much as I can. Your summary above is most useful.

Friday November 9, 2007, 10:10 am
Stop buying plastic things for kids and babies: they are ALL harmful one way or another. They ALL are poisons, all plastics. They contaminate the environment, too. It is possible to phase out ALL plastics from one's life. What did human beings ever do before plastics came on the scene? {I am old enough to remember when plastics were much rarer!}
Buy toys for kids made of natural materials, like wood and cloth. Or make them yourself. Don't get suckered into buying the latest advertised thing, or TV character. Kids can play with simple things, and have as much or more fun. Small kids often like to play with the Xmas wrappings more than the expensive toy inside!

The huge mega-corporations based on toys are PARASITES. They live off of inducing GUILT-TRIPS on parents, as if buying expensive JUNK would be an adequate substitute for love and attention!
NOBODY NEEDS THIS STUFF. Make your own beads! or buy old second-hand stuff. Kids also get off on doing REAL THINGS to help, such as cooking and gardening.
ALL OF THESE RECALLS OF MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF USELESS, TOXIC TOYS, SHOULD BE SENDING A CLEAR MESSAGE TO PARENTS. You and your kids can LIVE MUCH BETTER WITHOUT THIS JUNK!
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Blaming the Chinese manufacturer, just takes off the heat from THE COMPANIES THAT ORDERED THE MANUFACTURE OF THE TOYS IN THE FIRST PLACE, AT THE CHEAPEST POSSIBLE PRICE; THE U.S. GOVT THAT ALLOWS ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING INTO THE COUNTRY WITHOUT INSPECTION, having DE-FUNDED and CUT Inspection Agencies under the Bush regime; and finally, THE STORES THAT DON'T CARE WHAT THEY SELL, AS LONG AS IT MAKES MEGA-PROFITS. The big chain stores could take up the slack where the U.S. govt doesn't test for safety, but, noooooo, that would cut into PROFITS!

Probably they would find that, in one way or another, ALL OF THE PLASTIC JUNK THEY SELL, IS UNSAFE. You need to go back to the 19th century and carefully hand-made toys! that can't be mass-produced! NO PROFIT IN NON-PLASTIC TOYS!!!

Scapegoating China, is just an easy, emotionally-acceptable way to blame "foreigners". IN REALITY, IT IS THE CAPITALIST FOR-PROFIT SYSTEM THAT IS TO BLAME. To buy as CHEAP as possible; and to sell AT AS HIGH A PRICE AS THE TRAFFIC WILL BEAR. Maximizing PROFITS; and NOT maximizing safety, health and happiness!!! Who cares about the SUCKER CONSUMERS, anyway????? It's the BOTTOM LINE THAT COUNTS -- ONLY THAT.
That is THE CAPITALIST SYSTEM THAT WE WERE TAUGHT IN SCHOOL, IS THE SOLUTION TO ALL THE WORLD'S PROBLEMS.

Friday November 9, 2007, 10:21 am
I DON'T believe that some FIEND wanted and planned to "date-rape" kids worldwide.

I think some "smart" person in a chemistry lab, found a substance that would make plastic beads stick together; and, as per USUAL, THIS SUBSTANCE WAS NEVER TESTED FOR SAFETY. Nobody actually KNEW what was in the substance that made beads stick together! It was some synthetic that somebody working for some big corporation "developed". Then other people at the big corporation thought, how can we MARKET this? What can we DO with it? What kind of a toy could this be made into?

This substance, when inside the body, breaking down, METABOLIZES into GHB, or "date-rape" drug. Who knew? Who could predict? Who thought of testing it on animals? Too expensive, let's rush this new thing to market before the next holiday season!

Friday November 9, 2007, 1:02 pm
BMutinay...they used something in the spray that when the children swallow the beads it metabolises into this drug.

The coating on the beads that causes the beads to stick to each other when water is added contains a chemical that can turn toxic when many are ingested,'' the commission said.

Friday November 9, 2007, 3:30 pm
My Granddaughter had that item Bindee bought for her so lucky she didn't eat but our dog came close to .Now we explained to my 6 year old Granddaughter what it was all about and ya she was concerned about if you get it on your hands a lick you hands will she get sick?It has been a few days and we are all ok including the Dog.Karen

Friday November 9, 2007, 3:30 pm
My Granddaughter had that item Bindee bought for her so lucky she didn't eat but our dog came close to .Now we explained to my 6 year old Granddaughter what it was all about and ya she was concerned about if you get it on your hands a lick you hands will she get sick?It has been a few days and we are all ok including the Dog.Karen

Friday November 9, 2007, 9:00 pm
I cant believe Americans are still buying toys and products from China in the first place. China is obviously trying their best to hurt us, but to put our children at risk is an outrage. I am a member of the consumers union there have been hundreds of recalls ALL from China. I have been ordering American made toys and products online. I am NOT going to put my child at risk or the children I buy gifts for. I love them all too much. Their needs to be a boycott. Something big NEEDS to happen.