Aqua Dots toy recall

[CaptAubrey]

For anyone who hasn''t seen this already:

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/11/08/toy.recall/index.html

NEW YORK (CNN) -- U.S. safety officials have recalled about 4.2 million Chinese-made Aqua Dots bead toys that contain a chemical that has caused some children to vomit and become comatose after swallowing them.

Scientists have found the popular toy''s coating contains a chemical that, once metabolized, converts into the toxic "date rape" drug GHB, or gamma-hydroxy butyrate, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission spokesman Scott Wolfson told CNN.

If you have these in your house, throw them out!

Honestly, is anything from China safe anymore?

 

[Sparkster]

It''s also a very popular toy to give away as presents, so if you have given them away as a gift, please contact the parents of that child and let them know straight away.

 

[katebar]

This is big news here in Australia. The toy is called Bindi''s here and over 8 young children have been hospitialised with convulsions.
All States have recalled the toys but now there is apparantly a black market for them! In one week final year high school students finish and will be having week long Schoolies celebrations in my town and at beach resorts all over Australia. It is a right of passage and they basicly party party party. There is concerns that that these beads will be used to get high!
So dangerous and worrying

 

[Sparkster]

Katebar - the Victorian government took way too long to recall the Bindeez (they used the Cup Day holiday as an excuse). Good thing that the stores took it upon themselves to withdraw the items from sale.

 

[FireGoddess]

Date: 11/8/2007 1:02:10 PM
Author:CaptAubrey
Honestly, is anything from China safe anymore?

Honestly, I hate to say it, because I never used to think this way, but I will NEVER buy anything made in China AGAIN if I can absolutely avoid it. It is getting on the order of FRIGGING RIDICULOUS. Have they ALWAYS been cutting corners and making unsafe products like this? Is it because Americans don't want to pay a lot for things? Because I'd like to be buying kids' toys that DON'T HAVE LEAD IN THEM. Or other things, like this.

This has been pissing me off SO DARN MUCH.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Yep, this is just ridiculous and out of control. My kids contantly stick plastic objects in their mouth and it''s exhausting reminding them over and over not to do that!

Recently at a b-day party my son went to, the little girl received Aqua Dots. She moved this last week and I hope her parents have heard the news.

(and I''m now questioning EVERYTHING I get. I recently bought two Lancome products and a gift set came with it. The little bag that held the gift set is so cute, but it is made in China and I''m too paranoid to use it.

)

 

[FireGoddess]

Date: 11/8/2007 6:32:45 PM
Author: MC

(and I''m now questioning EVERYTHING I get. I recently bought two Lancome products and a gift set came with it. The little bag that held the gift set is so cute, but it is made in China and I''m too paranoid to use it.

)

I know....I ordered a metal spoon rest set with ceramic dishes for the dirty spoons from a kid who was fundraising for school. This was months ago. I get the spoon rest this week....and the whole thing is made in China. Now I''m afraid to use it, cuz I''d be putting things with FOOD on it.

 

[lumpkin]

This makes me so upset. We just gave these to our kids when my older one had his birthday in October. We had been holding on to them and I had them for my younger one to keep him occupied (and out of the older kids'' hair) during the party. What ended up happening is that the older kids wanted to play with them, and of course, I let them. When I think what could have happened at my house, under my watch, I am absolutely horrified.

I''m trying to find out how to safely dispose of this product, and it''s the one thing that doesn''t seem to be mentioned. I''m thinking about taking it back to Target and leaving it at their customer service desk, and requesting my money back. I doubt I''ll get it, but maybe if enough parents start to squawk at the vendors, it will put pressure on the right people.

FG, I am seriously putting a moratorium at our house on buying anything -- ANYTHING -- made in China. China has repeatedly put out seriously dangerious products because of trying to cut costs (the cold formula syrup in Brazil comes to mind). I''m just appalled that they think that 1) human life has so little value, 2) that they can get away with this for any length of time, and 3) that they think they will continue to get the manufacturing work by cutting corners like this. It''s so short sighted and destructive it just boggles my mind.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 11/8/2007 6:37:22 PM
Author: FireGoddess

I know....I ordered a metal spoon rest set with ceramic dishes for the dirty spoons from a kid who was fundraising for school. This was months ago. I get the spoon rest this week....and the whole thing is made in China. Now I'm afraid to use it, cuz I'd be putting things with FOOD on it.

That sucks! There are some really cute painted Holiday plates at a store nearby me and they're so cute and festive, but alas, we don't be buying them this year as they too are made in china.

There was something in the paper about China dumping our US dollar for the Euro. What a bunch of jerks. Seriously! Then we have our greedy corporations continuing to work with companies over there like eventually China WILL get it's act together. Unfortunetly, it seems that's not likely.

What toys aren't made in China? Legos? That's about it.

Lumpkin - you should absolutely take the toy back to Target. I've seen stores continuing to sell certain recalled toys after articles have been printed in the paper. Maybe the managers won't even know.

 

[VegasAngel]

It is pretty much impossible to avoid MIC items. I know on some other forums that I visit they have a good list of companies/toy that are not made in China. Problem for me is yes, China is making these products but Mattel, Fisher-price etc.. should be making sure these products are safe before being sold. THEY are just as much at fault if not more so as far as I am concerned.

 

[diamondfan]

It is too scary. Nearly everything I see has Made in China on it somewhere. It is so criminal that they are poisoning people to save money. Americans will have to be willing to pay a bit more, which stinks, because no what we pay we should be able to feel comfortable that it is safe. Since that seems to be impossible, we should not import goods from places that have this type of track record. I would rather pay a bit more for something. I had heard, months ago when it was affecting pet food, that the man in China that was in charge of their FDA or what not was sentenced to death over this issue, as things came to light and recalls occured and it was shown he had taken bribes. How many people and pets have to become sick and die? It is truly terrible.

 

[belle]

it looks from the article, that you would have to consume a good amount of beads for something adverse to happen (NOT that it should matter). i am just thankful to know that the stray aqua dot isn''t going to put a bunch of kids in a coma.

hopefully the refunds the company is offering will be swift and sufficient.

 

[katebar]

Date: 11/8/2007 7:14:45 PM
Author: belle
it looks from the article, that you would have to consume a good amount of beads for something adverse to happen (NOT that it should matter). i am just thankful to know that the stray aqua dot isn''t going to put a bunch of kids in a coma.

hopefully the refunds the company is offering will be swift and sufficient.

Belle here they are saying that an 18 month old ''had a few'' beads so maybe not that much!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Date: 11/8/2007 7:05:53 PM
Author: VegasAngel
It is pretty much impossible to avoid MIC items. I know on some other forums that I visit they have a good list of companies/toy that are not made in China. Problem for me is yes, China is making these products but Mattel, Fisher-price etc.. should be making sure these products are safe before being sold. THEY are just as much at fault if not more so as far as I am concerned.

Ditto...the blame does not belong with China, it belongs with greedy American companies who value profits over safety!!!!

My little girl just got these for her birthday less than a month ago! We plan to return it to Target where our older daughter bought it. I don''t care about the refund, but I do think the company needs to have the penalty for not checking safety on something it is selling!

 

[TravelingGal]

There was a recent story of a couple of did not buy anything MIC for one year. Interesting article and it was a LOT harder than they thought it would be.

My mom has disliked MIC products for years...since I was a child. I always kind of scoffed at that since I didn''t think made in Korea products were much better (but apparently they are). She has stuck with made in USA, Japan and some countries in Europe. I find myself doing the same, even if it means paying more.

But I agree with the comments is that it all starts with greed. And not just the companies. It''s you and me. Middle America. If given a choice of similar products, most will take the cheaper priced one. I deal with pitching to large retail stores and cost is king, because that''s what the customer wants, BOTTOM LINE. It''s truly cutthroat. So the vendor has to either choose to go out of business and have his family starve, or find cheap manufacturing. So China. Stores like WalMart are notorious for making or breaking a vendor, and I think a lot of MIC china products are a direct result of stores like that...and the people who shop there expecting bargain basement prices.

I think when it comes to child safety, we''d pay more. But what next? Would you really pay (A LOT) more for shoes, clothes, electronics, etc? For the vast majority of the country, I think the answer would be no...whether by choice or not.

 

[diamondfan]

TG, that is the inherent issue. People get so angry at some of the labor practices etc, as well they should, but tell them they must then pay more for an item and they flip. They want it all, top quality, highest working conditions and bottom line prices, but something sadly has to give. When there ARE places willing to make things so cheaply, and companies want to maximize their profit margins, we are vulnerable to this. Bottom line it is about the bottom line. There must be a compromise somewhere, and if we want workers paid acceptable wages and goods that are truly high quality and manufactured safely, we may have to feel it in our wallets. I think this whole recall issue, going back months to the pet food, just highlights this all the more. And our FDA and other regulatory agencies need to help make is more attractive to keep work in the U.S., and they need to stop dealing with countries who are circumventing the safeguards we have in place. Both ends are guilty, and somewhere in the middle lies the answer.

 

[FireGoddess]

Date: 11/8/2007 9:54:21 PM
Author: diamondseeker2006

Ditto...the blame does not belong with China, it belongs with greedy American companies who value profits over safety!!!!

Eeeesh! DS I have to disagree. SOME of the blame ABSOLUTELY belongs to China. Some of it of course lies with US companies who want to maximize profit margins. But last time I checked, it was the companies in CHINA who put melamine in pet food, used lead paint in kids toys, etc. If that was the only way to produce goods at a price US companies were willing to pay, then they could always say 'I can't produce a product for that little money.' But to try and hide the fact that they're substituting nutritional protein for MELAMINE??? I mean, come on. I think it's a little far fetched to say the blame does not belong with China.

If people want to talk about unfair labor practices and cheap prices...do any of you shop at Walmart? Because if you've seen any of the documentaries on Walmart, you'd NEVER set foot in one (again).

 

[Eva17]

Absolutely, Walmart set a presedent by having everything made in china, in order to keep thier prices so low. hence putting out most mom and pops and now allowing garbage to be sold to americans.

But americans seem to want to buy the garbage at rock bottom prices. us industry needs to come back to america. give back jobs, and the gov''t needs to give incentives to bring manufacturing back home, not tax incentives to import/export.

As americans, we can, not shop at walmarts, kmarts, etc..., write congress and complain, and try to purcahse american. It is VERY diifficult not to buy MIC, because almost everything is.....

 

[lumpkin]

I''m probably about to step my foot right in it, but here goes.

Some of the blame does fall on the consumer. A lot of us want what basically amounts to luxury items: decorations for the holidays, toys for the kids, and a whole lot of stuff we don''t absolutely have to have. Since we don''t have to have them, we don''t (and in many cases, can''t) spend a lot of money on them. We look for bargains. Even things like Coca-cola and bottled beverages. Do we have to have them? No. So many people buy off brands or do their shopping at mart stores. BUT, I don''t think anyone would choose to buy an unsafe product to eat or wear, put in our homes or give to our children. If it really costs too much to produce a safe product for me to afford it, I WILL DO WITHOUT. I really think most people would, too. But I don''t think the corporations WANT us to DO WITH OUT. So they produce things cheaper, ship off the manufacturing to other countries (which with fuel prices as they are, how long is that really going to remain a viable option, anyway? Maybe that''s part of what''s driving the problems in China?) and making things as cheaply as possible. I don''t know, I''m not an economist, but this is how it strikes me.

A lot of the blame falls on CEOs who make millions of dollars while they cut jobs, benefits, salaries, etc. because by doing so they get bigger bonuses. Now is where I''m really going to run the risk of offending someone here on the board, but it has to be said. How is any single CEO worth that much money? It simply breeds incompetence and greed. Who cares if they trash the company and a lot of peoples'' lives? They won''t be there that long. They don''t need to be. If they stay for five years and earn 40 million dollars, plus retirement benefits and bonuses, they never have to work again. I mean really, you would have to be a complete bonehead to run through that much money. So then the average worker/consumer has less money to spend, so they buy cheaper products, especially in a recession. It''s such a vicious cycle. I would love not to buy generic pain medicine and antihistamines, but as many antihistamines as we take in our family, it would cost us too much. Which brings us to health care. Don''t even get me started. Okay, get me started. I had a $10,000+ hospital birth 10 years ago that our health insurance paid nearly 100% of. Now, if I had taken my checkbook to the hospital, I would have had to pay about 40% more than my insurance company did. Four years later I had a home birth that cost $3500 and my same insurance and benefits would only cover about 50%. It''s messed up. I''m scared to death to get old and need medicine to actually stay alive. I never want to set foot in a hospital again, if at all possible. I''m really not surprised or shocked that anyone shops at Walmart. Sometimes you have to do what you have to do to make ends meet. Not everyone is privileged enough to be able to shop at Hen House for groceries, Nordstrom''s for clothing, and buy diamonds like we do. Some people just have to feed their kids and buy their medications.

A lot of the blame does fall on China. It just does. You don''t poison your customers, especially knowingly. Isn''t there a saying about that? Don''t sh*t where you eat???

 

[FireGoddess]

Well lumpkin, I''m gonna hold your hand and jump in it with ya, with both feet, cuz I couldn''t have said what I think BETTER myself.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

The fact is, China doesn''t have the consumer safety standards we do here. Do you really think they put aqua dots through safety testing before they sold them? I seriously doubt it. It does ultimately come back to us as consumers, but bottom line to me is, the US companies who are contracting with China to make goods have the responsibility to test the items for safety BEFORE putting them on the shelves here! The Chinese have no incentive to do expensive safety testing on the products they make when the items are bought without question! It is the US companies doing the importing that are making the big profits, and with that comes responsibility to the consumer for safety. If they demanded safe products and tested them before contracting with Chinese manufacturers, we''d have safer products. But instead, they close their eyes, import the products, make the big bucks, and hope they get away with it. You don''t have to look as far as China for evil and greed. It is right here at home.

 

[FireGoddess]

Date: 11/9/2007 1:11:44 PM
Author: diamondseeker2006
The fact is, China doesn't have the consumer safety standards we do here. Do you really think they put aqua dots through safety testing before they sold them? I seriously doubt it. It does ultimately come back to us as consumers, but bottom line to me is, the US companies who are contracting with China to make goods have the responsibility to test the items for safety BEFORE putting them on the shelves here! The Chinese have no incentive to do expensive safety testing on the products they make when the items are bought without question! It is the US companies doing the importing that are making the big profits, and with that comes responsibility to the consumer for safety. If they demanded safe products and tested them before contracting with Chinese manufacturers, we'd have safer products. But instead, they close their eyes, import the products, make the big bucks, and hope they get away with it. You don't have to look as far as China for evil and greed. It is right here at home.

I agree with this. I just didn't agree with the statement that China is blameless here. Yes, the US should do safety testing, of course! At the same time, who expects melamine to be put in food in place of protein? And even if we did test protein levels, that's why the Chinese put melamine in there, because in 'normal' testing it LOOKS like it's protein.

Greed abounds here, no question. But it takes 2 to tango.

 

[colormyworld]

Is wanting the lowest prices on consumer goods a new idea?? Is selling products that would not meet our public safety standards overseas a new idea?

I seem to rember a time when we had inspectors( paid for with our taxs) who made sure this type of thing would not keep happening . Apparently I am mistaken though.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Date: 11/9/2007 1:22:58 PM
Author: FireGoddess

Date: 11/9/2007 1:11:44 PM
Author: diamondseeker2006
The fact is, China doesn''t have the consumer safety standards we do here. Do you really think they put aqua dots through safety testing before they sold them? I seriously doubt it. It does ultimately come back to us as consumers, but bottom line to me is, the US companies who are contracting with China to make goods have the responsibility to test the items for safety BEFORE putting them on the shelves here! The Chinese have no incentive to do expensive safety testing on the products they make when the items are bought without question! It is the US companies doing the importing that are making the big profits, and with that comes responsibility to the consumer for safety. If they demanded safe products and tested them before contracting with Chinese manufacturers, we''d have safer products. But instead, they close their eyes, import the products, make the big bucks, and hope they get away with it. You don''t have to look as far as China for evil and greed. It is right here at home.

I agree with this. I just didn''t agree with the statement that China is blameless here. Yes, the US should do safety testing, of course! At the same time, who expects melamine to be put in food in place of protein? And even if we did test protein levels, that''s why the Chinese put melamine in there, because in ''normal'' testing it LOOKS like it''s protein.

Greed abounds here, no question. But it takes 2 to tango.

No way is China blameless. Didn''t mean to infer that. Just believe there were others more strongly at fault for selling the stuff here without checking it first. So I think we agree!

 

[diamondfan]

Some of it might be accidental, yet some of it cannot be. And our govt should know the risks inherent in getting goods in from other countries and should train/hire enough people to deal with this. This is a huge industry and these recalls have caused death and illness all around the world. It should no longer be accepted that things might "slip" through the cracks and cause harm to innocent people. Of course we as consumers want the most for the least, but that should not involve us getting sick or dying. But, in the long run, govt rules may have to change and standards tightened so there is a fair market ecocomy, but one with good conditions for workers, incentives to the factories and employers to provide those conditions, and good prices, but not rock bottom ones, for the consumer. Hope this is not unrealistic for the future.

 

[pennquaker09]

This is why I''m buying American made nursery furniture. I was looking at a Wendy Bellissimo crib until I found out it was recalled and sure enough, it was made in China.

I''m joining the cause, nothing in this house will come from China.

 

[CaptAubrey]

I hate it when I start a good thread then have to leave town and can''t follow it.

Date: 11/9/2007 1:11:44 PM
Author: diamondseeker2006
The fact is, China doesn''t have the consumer safety standards we do here. Do you really think they put aqua dots through safety testing before they sold them? I seriously doubt it.

I agree there is a lot of blame to spread around, but the core of it is how business gets done in China these days. China actually does have a decent regulatory framework; the problem is that the rules often aren''t enforced because the government officials have been paid off to look the other way. Business over there is very much about exploiting personal connections and exchanging gifts to smooth the way, something that lends itself very easily to bribery. A company that wants to make safe products just can''t compete with the company next door that''s making children''s charms out of recycled lead solder and paying the local inspectors to ignore it. So there is little incentive to play by the rules. The central government goes on endless anti-corruption drives (some of you no doubt heard about the head of their FDA being executed for taking bribes to approve untested drugs that ended up killing people) but the country is so big and the problems so ingrained that there never seems to be any improvement.

I think US companies could once claim to have been caught unawares by this situation, but no longer. The responsibility is on manufacturers to pay attention to what their suppliers are doing. Thankfully ,there does seem to be some progress in that respect. One can only hope.