Aquadots, or Aqua Dots as they are sometimes called, have been recalled from all US retailers. The recall is over whether a Chinese subcontractor replaced a glue component with one that mimics the effect of rohypnol, the so called date rape drug. Thus if a child swallows some of the beads they can become comatose, as has happened to at least two children.
Aquadots were recalled inAustralia by the original manufacturer, Moose Enterprises, yesterday and now Spin Master is requesting that North America
take the children’s beads of their shelves because of concerns over a chemical reaction if children swallow the pieces.
Moose Enterprises were first to recall their version of Aqua Dots, which are known as Bindeez in Australia. Spin Master has now recalled the toys in the United States
They say they are “working diligently to identify any shipments that
could potentially be included in a recall by the CPSC and Canadian
official.”
It
is unclear how many sets are being recalled. The company was first
alerted to the danger after tests showed some batches of Aquadots were
not made with it’s approved formula.
Kids love Aquadots but that’s one reason why they’re so dangerous:
The wildly popular craft beads known in the U.S. as Aquadots have been huge sellers.
Young Heather Lehane in Australia loved them, until she put them in her mouth.
"The ambulance wasn’t that long in coming, but she was in such a
state, so un-well. She was pale and just the vomiting and the fitting
we just couldn’t believe," said Charlotte Lehane, Heather’s Mother.
Two children in the U.S. and three in Australia have been hospitalized for eating Aquadots.
Only then was it discovered why.
When ingested the body metabolizes the toy’s adhesive into a
compound similar to a date rape drug, potentially triggering seizures,
even coma.
And from the Wall Street Journal about Aquadots:
More than four million Chinese-made toys sold in the
U.S. as Aqua Dots are being recalled after reports surfaced that
children swallowed beads containing a chemical found to mimic the
effects of the so-called date-rape drug.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission said it has
received two reports of children swallowing Aqua Dots and slipping into
comas. Both children are now fine, the commission said. At least three
children have been hospitalized in Australia, where the product is
called Bindeez, after ingesting beads from the toy.
Whether it’s an error with the orginal design or whether it’s a problem with the sub-contractor, no one knows as yet. More to come, no doubt.
And a full news report:
And how TV reported it:
Leave a Reply