An award-winning toy made in China and widely available in Hong Kong was recalled yesterday after it was found to turn into a date-rape drug if swallowed.
The toy, called Bindeez, consists of beads which if ingested are metabolised by the body into the drug GHB, also known as 'grievous bodily harm' or 'fantasy'.
The finding has led to a probe by Hong Kong's Customs and Excise Department to see if any drug control or toy safety laws have been violated.
Children use the multicoloured beads to make figures such as fairies and dinosaurs, setting them in place by spraying with a light film of water. But if swallowed the chemical reaction can induce drowsiness, seizures, loss of consciousness or coma.
Australia banned the toy yesterday after at least three children aged from 19 months to 10 years were admitted to hospital in New South Wales and Queensland after swallowing the beads. Two were unconscious when admitted.
Bindeez, which won the 2007 Toy of the Year award at the Melbourne toy and hobby fair, was supposed to contain a non-toxic glue. But instead of the harmless chemical 1,5-pentanediol, the beads were found to contain potentially deadly 1,4-butanediol, which metabolises into GHB.