Wal-Mart expected Aqua Dots to be a huge seller this Christmas. Now the toy has been removed from the shelves. No, it wasn’t chocked full of lead (so far as we know). Instead, the little beads are coated with a chemical that can convert to a powerful date-rape drug. Scientists discovered when the beads are eaten and metabolized the chemical converts to the toxic “date rape” drug GHB or gamma-hydroxy butyrate. Shouldn’t this sort of research be done on the front end?
Children who swallow the craft beads may vomit, experience respiratory depression, have seizures, slip into a coma or die.
China has ordered an investigation by quality control agencies. U.S. safety officials voluntarily recalled about 4.2 million of the Chinese-made toys Wednesday.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission reports a boy nearly 2 years old swallowed several dozen beads. He became dizzy and vomited several times before slipping into a comatose state for a period of time. The toddler was hospitalized and has since “fully recovered.” Another child ate the beads, vomited, fell into a coma and was hospitalized for five days. It was not immediately clear whether this child had made a full recovery. Four other children have been reported to be hospitalized in the U.S. after ingesting the toy.
Last month alone, U.S. government safety officials and retailers voluntarily* recalled at least 69,000 Chinese-made toys over concerns of excessive amounts of lead paint, which can cause hazardous lead poisoning.
*Mighty decent of them
Filed under: Labor/Business, News Headlines, Safety, Science, Topical, public health | Tagged: aqua dots, china, chinese imports, date rape drug, GHB, import, lead, news, toys
