Spin Master Recalls 4.2 Million Aqua Dots Tainted with Date Rape Drug

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in conjunction with toy manufacturer Spin Master announced a voluntary recall of all Aqua Dots kits. While most of the country was recovering from the shock of the latest toy recalls due to lead, children were suffering respiratory depression, seizures, and even comas. Officials say the cause is a toy contaminated with gamma hydroxy butyrate or GHB. If the name sounds familiar, it should. GHB found fame first in the 1960s when it was used as a rave or club drug. It's also referred to as the date rape drug, Georgia Home Boy, Ecstasy, and Liquid X among other names.

Aqua Dots kits have been sold at mass retailers in both brick and mortar stores as well as online outlets such as Amazon and www.asseenontv.com. Though the product is still visible on the retailers' websites, it is listed as "unavailable" with a note that any orders will ship when the product becomes available again.

Aqua Dots kits include small beads that are designed to fuse together when water is added, creating multi-dimensional crafts. The compound used to make the beads stick together turns into the highly toxic GHB when mixed with water. Parents of small children should be aware that if this product is ingested, it can be lethal.

As of November 11, there have been nine reported cases of children sickened by Aqua Dots products, six of whom were hospitalized. Those numbers may not seem significant, but unless parents and caregivers remove this product from their homes, the figure stands the chance to grow considerably.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has received several reports of children swallowing the beads. In one case, a 20-month-old swallowed several dozen beads. He then became dizzy, vomited several times, and slipped into a comatose state for a period of time. After hospitalization, the toddler made a complete recovery. To date, no deaths linked to ingestion of Aqua Dots beads have been reported.