Aqua Dots toys withdrawn due to hazardous chemical content

Adding more to the ongoing concerns over the safety of Chinese-made products, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission on Wednesday issued a recall of 4.2 million China-made Aqua Dots toys in the United States for possibly containing a "date rape" drug, and also pulled several other popular brands of China-made toys from the US market because the products' surfaces were covered in lead paint.

Manufactured by Moose Enterprise, the Aqua Dots toys are known as Bindeez in Australia, where the health officials this week also issued a nation-wide ban on these toys due to the similar reasons. Bindeez and Aqua Dots are made at the same factory, which is located in Shenzhen in China's southern Guangdong province, the manufacturer said.

The toys have been pulled from shelves in North America and Australia after scientists found a chemical in the toy’s beads that can convert into a powerful "date rape" drug GHB (gamma hydroxy butyrate,) when ingested.

Scientists say the chemical (1, 4 butanediol) coating on the beads, if ingested by kids, metabolizes into GHB, consequently inducing unconsciousness, seizures, drowsiness, coma and death.

1,4-butynediol, also known as but-2-yne-1,4-diol, is the organic compound. This colorless viscous liquid is derived from butane (highly flammable, colorless, easily liquefied gas) by placement of alcohol groups at each end of the chain. 1,4-Butanediol is used industrially as a solvent and in the manufacture of some types of plastics and fibers. In organic chemistry, this compound is used for the synthesis of ?-butyrolactone (GBL).

It is also used as a recreational drug known by some users as "One Comma Four", "One Four Bee" or "One Four B-D-O". It exerts effects similar to ?-hydroxybutyrate (GHB), which is a metabolic product of 1,4-butanediol.

The recalls of Aqua Dots and Bindeez toys in US and Australia, respectively, came after the two countries reported illness cases related to the toys. Two children in the US and three in Australia were hospitalized after they swallowed beads and became unconscious.

Distributed by Toronto-based Spin Master Toys in the United States, the beads have been sold in general merchandise stores and over the Internet since April for use in arts and crafts projects.

Aqua Dots, a highly popular new toy for the 2007 holiday season, made Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s list of top twelve Christmas toys and retailed for between $17 and $30.

Meanwhile, the CPSC said it’s also recalling 405,700b children's products made in China, because of the dangerous levels of lead in them. Although no illnesses connected to the recalls have been reported, but the US health authorities say they are pulling these lead-contaminated toys because lead is toxic if ingested by young children.

The lead-contaminated toys recalled Wednesday include about 380,000 Pull-Back Action Toy Cars, imported by Goodlettsville, Tenn.-based Dollar General Merchandising Inc., and sold at Dollar General stores from April through October.

About 7,500 Dragster and Funny Car toys are also included in the recall list. Imported by Springfield, Mo.-based International Sourcing Ltd. the cars were sold at National Hot Rod Association events through Schumacher Racing and Matco Tools through door-to-door sales from March through September year.

Also recalled were about 7,200 "Big Red" Wagons imported by Burnsville, Minn.-based Northern Tool & Equipment. The wagons were sold through the Northern Tool & Equipment catalog, Web site and stores from July through September.

Rowley, Mass.-based Schylling Associates’ four toy brands were recalled on Wednesday, including the Duck Family collectable Wind-Up Toy (3,500), Dizzy Ducks Music Box (1,300), "Robot 2000" collectable tin robot (2,600) and Winnie-the-Pooh Spinning Top (3,600). The company recalled another 66,000 spinning tops in August.

The Dizzy Ducks Music Box products were sold at specialty toy stores and gift shops nationwide from March through October, while the Winnie-the-Pooh Spinning Tops were sold at specialty toy stores and gift shops from April through November in 2003.

The Duck Family Collectable Wind-Up Toys were sold at specialty toy stores and gift shops from January through August, while the "Robot 2000" collectable tin robot toys were sold at specialty toy stores and gift shops nationwide from October 2006 through this September.