Australia's Chinese-made Toy of the Year contains 'date-rape' drug

Source: Assuming AP, via Star Tribune

SYDNEY, Australia - Australian officials ordered a popular Chinese-made children's toy pulled from the shelves after scientists found it contained a chemical that converts into a powerful "date rape'' drug when ingested.

Three children have been hospitalized over the past 10 days after swallowing beads from Bindeez, named Australia's toy of the year at an industry function earlier this year.

The beads in the toy, sold by Australia-based Moose Enterprises, are arranged into designs and fuse together when sprayed with water.

Scientists say the beads contain a chemical that the human body 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.

Read more: http://www.startribune.com/1244/story/1534195.html

remember the Big Bag O Glass? I think it was Dan Akroyd - if they tried date rape toy beads it would have never flown.

China fires the first shot in the War on Christmas.

My son asked for those for xmas. It's the same principal as the little plastic pegboard doodads you have to iron to stick together. Guess what he's NOT getting? I don't know if they are the same thing with a different name, or a whole different product, but it would be worth checking out.

I'm looking at the box right now, the Aqua Dots box, and it has the Australian Toy Association 2007 toy of the year emblem right on the front of the box.

Luckily my kids played with them for a few hours on the first day we bought it, and not at all since then. Plus, they're beyond the age where they pop stuff like that in their mouth. They won't mind the "toy" being thrown out.

With everything available to be used, why do they continue to use ingredients such as these.

It's a lot cheaper than nukes.

The popular toy, "easy bake oven" has been recalled by china. It was found that in the correct combinations several of the recipes could manufacture crystal meth!

Although I *REALLY* don't want to know what's in 'plastic goop'.

How about this for a step into the way back machine.

do you remember when Mattel came out with "edible goop"?

scary ass now, cool then. lol

nt

TYY

I swear the Chinese are trying to kill the rest of the world. They are just getting caught.

Either way it is just one more example of why not to buy "made in China" anymore.

you can count on 2 hands the number of products actually made in the US that is sold on their shelves.

Authoritarian government with almost no regulations for product safety...or worker safety...or polluting the environment.

NeoCon heads must be spinning as they try to paint their heros as the enemy.

:hi: :yourock:

Welcome to DU, Iggo. :hi:

.....as the Chinese continue on their path toward eventual world economic and financial supremacy, they will awaken one morning only to find that they've killed all their customers.....

- K&R

So much like the U.S. where the customers who used to work for the companies which are no off-shored no longer have jobs and therefore cannot buy the products of these "profitable" companies.

It was one of those $19.95 + S&H infomercials.

I've seen comercials on Nickelodeon.

fuck us, I'd rather be drugged while they do it.

Acetones are very common in plastics and paint products of all sorts (hint, that bottle of nail polish remover in your medicine cabinet is probably an acetone). When you ingest ANYTHING, the body breaks it down into constituent chemicals and converts some of it into new chemicals. A few acetones, if ingested, will convert into GHB internally.

and bizzarre at that!

My daughter just asked for a set of Bindeez for Christmas.

She started playing with them at sleepovers at her friend's house - I wonder if they ingested any?

poisoning our children and pets and us

how much proof has to be seen and USDA and FDA are just ignoring it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uM6j_htQCIQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WM6Gz2bB36c

(try a search on Amazons for "Aqua Dots")...but no consumer alerts from the press or government yet.

in their country and it just spills over to others who buy their products.

Why doesn't china have regulations themselves against all of this poison they are selling? It's the rest of the world pulling their products. I don't see China announcing regulation for safty and health changes.