According to a Nov. 12 Hong Kong media report, Wangqi Products—a Chinese factory in Shenzhen accused of making toys containing toxic substances—is still manufacturing new toys despite the authority’s ban on its exports.
The toys, called “Aqua Dots” in the United States and “Bindeez” in Australia, contain a toxic substance. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recalled 4.2 million units of the toy last week. Australia too announced its ban of the toy.
After the toy recall started in the United States, on Nov. 10 China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection, and Quarantine (AQSIQ) banned exports made by the company.
But Wangqi Products has still been producing the banned toys, according to a Southern China Morning Post (SCMP) report.
One employee of the factory told SCMP, “We have not heard about this recall.” “But we need to start work on toy dinosaurs now. I don’t know if the beads contain toxins or not, but we are asked to use gloves when handling chemicals.”
According a media report, prior Nov. 11, there have been nine reported cases of children sickened by Aqua Dots products in the United States, three cases in Australia and two in New Zealand.
Aqua Dots are knits with colorful, small beads coated in glue. When sprayed with water, the beads fuse together into designs. The compound used to make the glue turns into the gamma hydroxy butyrate (GHB) when mixed with water, according to CPSC.
GHB, an illegal drug in the United States, is a powerful sedative, known for being used as a recreational drug. When ingested in small doses, it can lead to serious side effects, such as loss of consciousness.
