Toys made with the date rape drug

[Sidewinder]

Bindeez, produced as Aqua Dots[1] in North America, is a children's toy that was awarded Australian "Toy of the Year" for 2007.[2] Toy Wishes magazine named one of the products among its 12 best toys of 2007.[1] It is manufactured under contract by a factory in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China[3] for the Australian company Moose Enterprise P/L, and distributed in North America by Spin Master Ltd. A similar product known as Aquabeads was developed in Japan by Epoch Co. Ltd but is not directly related to Bindeez [4].

The toy was subject to a multi-national product recall after some shipped toys were found to have been manufactured with a toxic chemical, which sickened and hospitalised children who ingested the beads.

Overview
Bindeez is a craft kit that allows children to create various multi-dimensional designs using small colored beads. Bindeez can refer to either the toy itself or the small beads. The beads are arranged into various designs on a plastic tray. When the beads are sprayed with water, their surfaces become adhesive and they fuse together. The beads are then left to dry and the whole design becomes fixed and can be removed from the tray.[5] The beads are approximately five millimetres in diameter and come in a wide range of colors. Bindeez are available in various different kits with accessories such as a drying fan, applicator pen, design templates for the beads, and water spray bottles. The product is labelled for ages four and above.

Recall
The Bindeez Design Studio. Part of a range of Bindeez productsBindeez were first withdrawn from the Australian market,[6] and subsequently from the North American market by the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission,[7][8] in early November 2007. They were recalled in Australia after a two-year-old boy and a 10-year-old girl became seriously ill after they swallowed large numbers of the beads.[9] Two children in North America became unconscious after similar ingestion.[10] U.S. safety officials recalled about 4.2 million of the toys.[11]

The Aqua Dots recall is one of the most serious announced by CPSC in recent years. When we first announced the recall on Wednesday, we knew of two children who had fallen into non-responsive comas after ingesting the beads used with this arts and crafts toy. Since the recall was announced, we have learned of seven additional incidents, some involving children who had to be hospitalized (this is now being reported on the AP wire). We urge all parents and caregivers who have this recalled toy to immediately take it away from children and ensure that no one else takes possession of it.
—Scott Wolfson, Deputy Director,Consumer Product Safety Commission, November 9, 2007.

The toy was supposed to contain the non-toxic chemical 1,5-pentanediol (a viscous oily liquid used as plasticiser), but instead contained 1,4-butanediol, which is metabolised into the drug gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid (GHB, commonly known as a date rape drug). At the time the substitution was discovered, the non-toxic ingredient was three to seven times more expensive than the chemical used.[12] The children affected had seizure-like activity, which are typical effects of GHB.[13] A similar product, Aquabeads, produced by a different manufacturer has not been recalled and is presumed to be uncontaminated.[14]

In Australia the supplier is expecting replacement beads to be available by February 2008, based on the interim ban being lifted.[15]

The Wikipedia article contains links to AP and CNN articles on the toy.

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