Toy Recall: Coating Metabolizes To GHB

Fewer than 50 days before Christmas, a retail toy market that has suffered through multiple recalls was dealt another blow when Toronto-based Spin Master Toys' hot new product Aqua Dots was recalled because they were coated with a chemical which, when ingested, metabolized to gamma hydroxy butyrate - or GHB - the date rape drug.  GHB can cause a variety of symptoms including drowsiness, coma, and even death.  According to the report, five children have been treated so far, with no fatalities, although there have been reports of non-responsive comas.

In August, after the second lead paint based recall, I wrote:

As trite as it may sound, this is the price we pay in North America to have cheap merchandise.  The reality of the economics of our world is that to produce a toy for the price (the majority of) consumers are willing to pay, North American labour proves too expensive.  Instead, countries with lower costs of living, lower standards of employment, and generally poorer working conditions are used to provide us with goods.  In short, I argue that to produce a toy held to North American safety standards requires it to be made in North America, by a North American workforce - and that subsequently the cost of producing that toy results in a retail price that exceeds what the market will bear.

However, this time it is not a lower standard that has created a problem.  This is a poorly tested, poorly researched toy.  The product is a collection of small beads of various colours, intended to be arranged into specific shapes and/or designs, and then sprayed with water to form a solidified decorative item.  (Think: those small plastic tubes that one arranges on a peg board and then irons over to create a design; only without the iron.)  The operative words in that description are "small beads".  A toy company is marketing to children, little humans who explore everything, usually at some point with their tongue and/or the inside of their mouths.  To market a toy like this, one that clearly has been chemically treated to allow them to adhere together when wetted, without researching the effects of combining those chemicals with those naturally found in a human mouth or stomach is irresponsible.

In the article, a toy consultant is quoted as saying,

"This is something that they could not have foreseen. This is an extremely hot toy. ... It's a little scary,"

He got it half right: it is scary.  However, I think they could have foreseen a kid putting something small in their mouths.

This post has been written in conjunction with the Parent Bloggers Network blog blast sponsored by Consumer's Union entitled "Get The Lead Out".

To read more SciFi Dad, you can go to Tales From The Dad Side.

Comments

[Kristen]

I agree. We just want cheap and quick.

I'm hoping this starts a turnaround back to mom and pop bizzes who are making fantastic and safe stuff for our kids.

[kittenpie]

I agree that this is scary and partly as a result of, as you say, a consumer culture that is in need of some change. Part of this, too, is a result of differing standards for differing age groups. The fact is that because these are labeled and marketed for children of 4+, it is assumed that children of that age are past the "everything in the mouth" stage and will play with these as they are intended. This means they don't actually have to conform to standards and testing as rigorous as toys for under-3s do. Which means, as far as I am concerned, two things.
1) Standards need to be better. Why is it okay for something to be poisonous just because a kid "should" know better than to ingest it?
2) Parents need to know their own chldren, too, and be aware of whether they are in fact likely to put things in their mouths or not. While things SHOULD be safe, the world is not always that way, and we have to be careful with our kids.
It's a sad day when the thought of what toys people might buy for your child is a scary one.

[Ann]

If you're looking for safe toys, check out my company, www.tabbybears.com. They are great, safe toys made by American artisans. They are also hypo-allergenic and promote imagination.