Aqua Dots & Gamma Hydroxy Butyrate

There’s some more information on the Aqua Dots recall.

Millions of Chinese-made toys have been pulled from shelves in North America and Australia after scientists found they contain a chemical that converts into a powerful “date rape” drug when ingested. Two children in the U.S. and three in Australia were hospitalized after swallowing the beads.

Isn’t that nice. When ingested, the Aqua Dots metabolize into gamma hydroxy butyrate, the date rape drug. No one knew this? No one tested the chemicals used on the Aqua Dots? No one double checked to see what the chemical interactions would be?

And this was the toy of the year in Australia last year?

The marketing for this product has been so heavy, that even we broke down and bought some for our youngest. Of course, our youngest is well above the labeled age requirement, and he knows better than to put toys in his mouth and such.

But what about the exposure through the skin? He played with those Aqua Dots a lot, and sprayed them with water, and because he’s a kid, he would re-arrange them and play with them while they were sticky. What happens when those chemicals are absorbed through the skin? I bet the so called experts don’t even know.

Needless to say, the “toy of the year” seems to be the most immediately lethal (if ingested). Maybe they should have called them Aqua Dates.