Killer toys still haunt China
A Chinese-made toy containing an industrial chemical linked to a so-called ‘date-rape’ drug has been recalled from US and Australian shelves after children who swallowed its parts became comatose.
By Agencies |
SAN FRANCISCO: A Chinese-made toy containing an industrial chemical linked to a so-called ‘date-rape’ drug has been recalled from US and Australian shelves after children who swallowed its parts became comatose.
Aqua Dots, which features small beads that bond with water, contain chemical 1,4-butanediol, an industrial solvent that the body converts to drug gamma-hydroxy butyrate, according to the US Food and Drug Administration’s website.
Two children in the US who swallowed the beads were hospitalised after they became comatose and later recovered, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission said in a statement. The toys were manufactured in China and distributed by Toronto-based Spin Master, it said.
The recall comes as consumer concern grows about Chinese-made products amid revelations this year of toxic pet food, contaminated vitamins, lead paint on toys and deadly cribs. President George W Bush earlier this week called for increased penalties for companies that sell dangerous products and establishing a certification programme for producers that meet safety standards.
“High concentration of the chemical can damage our nerve system,” said Ho Wing Shing, a biochemistry expert at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. “1,4-butanediol is a common industrial raw material.”
Spin Master in a statement on Wednesday night said that more than 60% of the 4.2 million units covered by the recall hadn’t reached consumers. Company spokeswoman Donna MacNeil didn’t return voicemail or e-mail messages seeking comment.
Spin Master said the toys were produced by Melbourne-based Moose Enterprise Pty through factories in China.
The product, which is labelled Bindeez outside of the US, sickened two Australian children as well, Melbourne’s Herald Sun newspaper reported November 6.
Moose Enterprise voluntarily recalled the products after a “small number” of children swallowed the beads and required medical attention, it said in a statement. Moose will introduce a “foul-tasting ingredient” into the product’s formulation to ensure children don’t eat multiple beads when the products return.
Phone calls to Moose Enterprise on Thursday were unanswered.
“We’re calling for a national product safety council that can actually coordinate all of these matters concerning product safety,” Christopher Zinn from consumer association Choice told ABC Radio on Wednesday. “It’s basically a hodgepodge of rules and regulations at state and federal level that do not work at the single purpose, and that is protecting people.”
China, which produces four-fifths of the toys sold in the US, has been the focus of several recalls this year, including at least 21 million items recalled by the world’s largest toymaker, Mattel.
Aqua Dots, which features small beads that bond with water, contain chemical 1,4-butanediol, an industrial solvent that the body converts to drug gamma-hydroxy butyrate, according to the US Food and Drug Administration’s website.
Two children in the US who swallowed the beads were hospitalised after they became comatose and later recovered, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission said in a statement. The toys were manufactured in China and distributed by Toronto-based Spin Master, it said.
The recall comes as consumer concern grows about Chinese-made products amid revelations this year of toxic pet food, contaminated vitamins, lead paint on toys and deadly cribs. President George W Bush earlier this week called for increased penalties for companies that sell dangerous products and establishing a certification programme for producers that meet safety standards.
“High concentration of the chemical can damage our nerve system,” said Ho Wing Shing, a biochemistry expert at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. “1,4-butanediol is a common industrial raw material.”
Spin Master in a statement on Wednesday night said that more than 60% of the 4.2 million units covered by the recall hadn’t reached consumers. Company spokeswoman Donna MacNeil didn’t return voicemail or e-mail messages seeking comment.
ADVERTISEMENT
Spin Master said the toys were produced by Melbourne-based Moose Enterprise Pty through factories in China.
The product, which is labelled Bindeez outside of the US, sickened two Australian children as well, Melbourne’s Herald Sun newspaper reported November 6.
Moose Enterprise voluntarily recalled the products after a “small number” of children swallowed the beads and required medical attention, it said in a statement. Moose will introduce a “foul-tasting ingredient” into the product’s formulation to ensure children don’t eat multiple beads when the products return.
Phone calls to Moose Enterprise on Thursday were unanswered.
ADVERTISEMENT
Australian Family First Senator Steve Fielding on Wednesday called for national laws on dangerous toys. The current system, branded a “joke” by Fielding in an e-mailed statement, relies on each state enforcing bans. The country’s Productivity Commission last year recommended a single body.“We’re calling for a national product safety council that can actually coordinate all of these matters concerning product safety,” Christopher Zinn from consumer association Choice told ABC Radio on Wednesday. “It’s basically a hodgepodge of rules and regulations at state and federal level that do not work at the single purpose, and that is protecting people.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Toys ‘R’ Us Asia, a unit of Hong Kong-based Li & Fung Group, removed all Bindeez items from its stores in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia in response to the sale ban in New South Wales, according to a November 6 statement.China, which produces four-fifths of the toys sold in the US, has been the focus of several recalls this year, including at least 21 million items recalled by the world’s largest toymaker, Mattel.
Download
The Economic Times Business News App for the Latest News in Business, Sensex, Stock Market Updates & More.
The Economic Times Business News App for the Latest News in Business, Sensex, Stock Market Updates & More.
Download
The Economic Times News App for Quarterly Results, Latest News in ITR, Business, Share Market, Live Sensex News & More.
The Economic Times News App for Quarterly Results, Latest News in ITR, Business, Share Market, Live Sensex News & More.
ADVERTISEMENT
