Amazing Craft Toy.
Place the beads in a tray and spray with water and they will magically stick together.
"Date-Rape Drug in Bead Toy":
THE Australian toy of the year, Bindeez, has been withdrawn after a warning that the date-rape drug GHB may have been "deliberately" put into the product.
Two children - 10 and two - were admitted to The Children's Hospital, Westmead this month and another was treated in Queensland after swallowing the Bindeez beads.
Tests have revealed the tiny beads contain the chemical 1,4-Butanediol, which when ingested turns into liquid fantasy, also known as GHB.
An investigation has been launched into how the dangerous chemical, an adhesive, ended up in the toy but some experts believe it was deliberately swapped for one of the listed ingredients.
Bindeez are made in Hong Kong and imported through Melbourne company Moose Enterprises.
The bead crafting kits won the title of Most Popular Toy in March.
The company, which was unavailable for comment, has been forced to withdraw the toy and faces millions of dollars in losses.
The beads contain a non-toxic glue which, when sprayed with water, stick together to form shapes.
Authorities became concerned when Charlotte Lehane, 10, was the second child in a week needing hospitalisation after swallowing the beads.
Her mother Heather Lehane, of Castle Hill, said that within an hour of her daughter eating the coloured balls, she became unconscious.
"It was terrifying. I couldn't wake her and then she just started vomiting this thick glue-like substance and all these Bindeez," Mrs Lehane said. "She had wanted them for her birthday ... they are very popular."
Fair Trading Minister Linda Burney ordered the immediate removal of the toy from shops.
University of NSW toxicologist Chris Wynder said the chemical was most likely put into the toy.
"There's a possibility there's been some malice," Professor Wynder said. "Maybe the glue they use was too expensive, or wasn't available."
"Big Recall of China Bead Toys After 'Date Rape' Drug Found ":
DEADLY: The chemical coating can induce seizures or coma if ingested.
WASHINGTON - THERE has been another massive global recall of Chinese-made toys, just weeks from the busy Christmas shopping season.
Millions of the 'bead-based' toys have been pulled from shelves in North America, Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore after scientists found they contained a chemical that converts into a powerful 'date rape' drug when ingested.
Two children in the United States and three in Australia were hospitalised after swallowing the beads.
The toys are called Bindeez in Australia, where they were named toy of the year at an industry function this year. In the United States, the toy goes by the name Aqua Dots, a highly popular holiday toy distributed by Toronto-based Spin Master Toys. Both are sold by Australia-based Moose Enterprises.
Moose Enterprises said Bindeez and Aqua Dots are made at the same factorylocated in Shenzhen in China's southern Guangdong province. The company said the product is distributed in 40 countries but that it was up to the individual countries and distributors to determine if the product would be pulled.
The toy beads are sold for use in arts and crafts projects. They can be arranged into designs and fused together when sprayed with water.
Scientists say a chemical coating on the beads, when ingested, becomes the so-called 'date rape' drug gamma hydroxy butyrate (GHB). When eaten, the compound can induce unconsciousness, seizures, drowsiness, coma and cause death.
Dr Naren Gunja from Australia's Poisons Information Centre said the drug's effect on children was 'quite serious and potentially life-threatening'.
The recall was announced by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, several hours after reports were published in the US about the recall in Australia.
The news jolted the toy industry because Aqua Dots has been one of the few bright stars of the toy-selling season which, along with overall retailing, got off to a sluggish start in the US Christmas season. Toy sellers are cancelling advertising and scrambling to figure out how to replace the product.
Place the beads in a tray and spray with water and they will magically stick together.
"Date-Rape Drug in Bead Toy":
THE Australian toy of the year, Bindeez, has been withdrawn after a warning that the date-rape drug GHB may have been "deliberately" put into the product.
Two children - 10 and two - were admitted to The Children's Hospital, Westmead this month and another was treated in Queensland after swallowing the Bindeez beads.
Tests have revealed the tiny beads contain the chemical 1,4-Butanediol, which when ingested turns into liquid fantasy, also known as GHB.
An investigation has been launched into how the dangerous chemical, an adhesive, ended up in the toy but some experts believe it was deliberately swapped for one of the listed ingredients.
Bindeez are made in Hong Kong and imported through Melbourne company Moose Enterprises.
The bead crafting kits won the title of Most Popular Toy in March.
The company, which was unavailable for comment, has been forced to withdraw the toy and faces millions of dollars in losses.
The beads contain a non-toxic glue which, when sprayed with water, stick together to form shapes.
Authorities became concerned when Charlotte Lehane, 10, was the second child in a week needing hospitalisation after swallowing the beads.
Her mother Heather Lehane, of Castle Hill, said that within an hour of her daughter eating the coloured balls, she became unconscious.
"It was terrifying. I couldn't wake her and then she just started vomiting this thick glue-like substance and all these Bindeez," Mrs Lehane said. "She had wanted them for her birthday ... they are very popular."
Fair Trading Minister Linda Burney ordered the immediate removal of the toy from shops.
University of NSW toxicologist Chris Wynder said the chemical was most likely put into the toy.
"There's a possibility there's been some malice," Professor Wynder said. "Maybe the glue they use was too expensive, or wasn't available."
"Big Recall of China Bead Toys After 'Date Rape' Drug Found ":
DEADLY: The chemical coating can induce seizures or coma if ingested.
WASHINGTON - THERE has been another massive global recall of Chinese-made toys, just weeks from the busy Christmas shopping season.
Millions of the 'bead-based' toys have been pulled from shelves in North America, Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore after scientists found they contained a chemical that converts into a powerful 'date rape' drug when ingested.
Two children in the United States and three in Australia were hospitalised after swallowing the beads.
The toys are called Bindeez in Australia, where they were named toy of the year at an industry function this year. In the United States, the toy goes by the name Aqua Dots, a highly popular holiday toy distributed by Toronto-based Spin Master Toys. Both are sold by Australia-based Moose Enterprises.
Moose Enterprises said Bindeez and Aqua Dots are made at the same factorylocated in Shenzhen in China's southern Guangdong province. The company said the product is distributed in 40 countries but that it was up to the individual countries and distributors to determine if the product would be pulled.
The toy beads are sold for use in arts and crafts projects. They can be arranged into designs and fused together when sprayed with water.
Scientists say a chemical coating on the beads, when ingested, becomes the so-called 'date rape' drug gamma hydroxy butyrate (GHB). When eaten, the compound can induce unconsciousness, seizures, drowsiness, coma and cause death.
Dr Naren Gunja from Australia's Poisons Information Centre said the drug's effect on children was 'quite serious and potentially life-threatening'.
The recall was announced by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, several hours after reports were published in the US about the recall in Australia.
The news jolted the toy industry because Aqua Dots has been one of the few bright stars of the toy-selling season which, along with overall retailing, got off to a sluggish start in the US Christmas season. Toy sellers are cancelling advertising and scrambling to figure out how to replace the product.
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