Apparently chinese manufacturers of one of this year's hottest toys decided to cut corners and use a cheaper chemical to make them. The end result is that when the beads from Aqua Dots (the name in the US and Canada) or Bindeez (Australia) are swallowed and the coating is metabolized it becomes the "date rape" drug ghb. Children in Australia, New Zealand, and the US have been hospitalized after swallowing small beads that are part of the toys.
Bindeez was the 2007 Australian toy of the year and on WalMart's list of top toys for Christmas. I know I was planning on getting it for my kids for Christmas.
It appears that the original formulation of the toy was perfectly safe----it was the unauthorized substitution of a cheaper chemical by a Chinese company contracted to mass produce the toys that is making kids sick. The orginal manufacturer of the toy says they didn't authorize any chemical subsitution and they were not informed of any substitutions.
How many other toys are out there that are tainted with chemicals that aren't supposed to be in them?
New article on the recall:
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071108/NEWS07/71108024
US Consumer Product Safety Commission info
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml08/08074.html
from down under:
http://www.news.com.au/mercury/story/0,22884,22722900-5007221,00.html
*****There are concerns that teens may try ingesting the tiny balls for a high*****