Popular Children's Toy Bindeez Beads Being Recalled

A popular children's' toy Bindeez Beads is being recalled and has been pulled from store shelves in Australia, the beads contain a chemical that converts into a powerful "date rape" drug when ingested.

Moose Enterprise has issued a recall of its Bindeez beads after officials in Australia had found that the popular children's toy contained a chemical that converts into a powerful "date rape" drug when ingested. To date three children have been hospitalized after they swallowed the beads. Apparently, the beads contain a chemical that the human body is able to metabolize into the date rape, drug gamma hydroxy butyrate. If the beads are ingested the compound which is made from common and easily available ingredients is able to induce unconsciousness, seizures, drowsiness, coma and death. Linda Burney, the New South Wales state minister for fair trading has ordered the toys pulled from store shelves Tuesday. The order was given after it was discovered that a 2-year-old boy and a 10-year-old girl were admitted to a Sydney hospital after swallowing large quantities of the beads. In addition to these two children, a 19-month-old toddler from Queensland has also received medical help after eating the beads. "The number of product recalls of well-known toys is highly disturbing to me," Burney said. "In the meantime, I would urge parents to immediately remove any Bindeez products from their children." According to, Naren Gunja from Australia's Poisons Information Center said the drug's effect on children was "quite serious ... and potentially life-threatening." The New South Wales Fair Trading Department has issued a statement which said that the product was supposed to use nontoxic compound used in glue, but contained the harmful chemical instead.