http://www.kcci.com/family/14536526/detail.html


WASHINGTON -- Dealing a blow to an already sluggish toy selling season, the popular toy Aqua Dots has been recalled.

Millions of the toys have been pulled from shelves in North America and Australia because scientists found the toy beads contain a chemical that converts into a powerful "date rape" drug when ingested. While the toy is known as Aqua Dots in North America, in Australia they're called Bindeez.



Scientists said a chemical coating on the beads, when ingested, metabolizes into the so-called date rape drug GHB. When eaten, the compound can induce unconsciousness, seizures, drowsiness, coma and death.

Two children in the U.S. and three in Australia had to be hospitalized.

The two U.S. children who swallowed Aqua Dot beads went into nonresponsive comas, a spokesman with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission 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.

The beads are sold in general merchandise stores and over the Internet for use in arts and crafts projects.

The item, which had been heavily advertised, had appeared on many toy experts' list of must-have holiday toys, and toy sellers are now in the midst of canceling advertising and scrambling to figure out how to replace it.

In a statement, Toys "R" Us Inc., said that it issued on Tuesday a "stop sale" on the entire Spin Master Aqua Dots product line in its North American stores and on its Web site after it learned of the news.

"We understand that Spin Master and U.S. regulatory authorities are investigating this product and we have asked Spin Master to fully explain what it believes happened," said the toy seller in a statement.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission said consumers should immediately take the recalled toy away from children and contact Spin Master for free replacement beads or a toy of equal value.

For additional information, contact Spin Master at 1-800-622-8339 between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. EST Monday through Friday.

 

I heard that on the news...getting scary as what toys to buy anymore.

 

i've seen at least 3 or 4 reports on this in the past 24 hours. not one of them have asked the question, "why are kids eating toys in the first place?"

:doh:

 

when parents don't read the suggested age, things like this happen.


toddlers put everything in their mouth.


small, bright, near Halloween (so candy is everywhere) ... it looks like candy to them.

 

anything made in china needs to be burned

 

I'm buying me a boatload of Aqua Dots :woohoo:

 

Every toy seems to give you cancer, or kill you, or something now-a-days. Plenty of adults survived when there was lead paint.

 

Pretty soon you'll see Kindergarten kids selling Aqua Dots at recess.

 

When I go looking for toys for my kid, I am going to try to only buy shit made in America.

 

good luck. "made in America" is pretty much nonexistant now.