# OK, this whole "tainted Chinese toys" thing has become self-parody. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 10, 2007, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-this-whole-tainted-chinese-toys-thing-has-become-self-parody/425874 "2007-11-10T05:12:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-this-whole-tainted-chinese-toys-thing-has-become-self-parody/425874/1 "2007-11-10T05:12:20Z")
> **[Report: China halts export of bead toys tainted with toxic drug - CNN.com](https://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/11/09/toy.recall/index.html)** > > China has suspended exports of the Aqua Dots toys contaminated with a chemical that can convert to a powerful "date rape" drug, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported Saturday. The toys have caused some children who swallowed the craft toys to... > [@](#): > > China has suspended exports of the Aqua Dots toys contaminated with a chemical that can convert to a powerful “date rape” drug, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported Saturday. The toys have caused some children who swallowed the craft toys to vomit and lose consciousness. Christ. Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball. A chemical that can be converted to a date rape drug?! Are you shitting me? SNL is behind this, somehow, aren’t they? Or maybe the Onion. It’s just so insanely ludicrous. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-this-whole-tainted-chinese-toys-thing-has-become-self-parody/425874/2 "2007-11-10T05:19:14Z")
Well, it’s not like they did it on purpose. From [this article](http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/11/08/toys.daterapedrug.ap/index.html?iref=newssearch) earlier today: > [@](#): > > A company spokeswoman for Moose Enterprises’ Hong Kong office said Aqua Dots production was outsourced to a mainland Chinese factory. She refused to elaborate and referred all further requests for comment to the company’s head office in Australia. > > The toys were supposed to be made using 1,5-pentanediol, a nontoxic compound found in glue, but instead contained the harmful 1,4-butanediol, which is widely used in cleaners and plastics. > > The Food and Drug Administration in 1999 declared the chemical a Class I Health Hazard, meaning it can cause life-threatening harm. > > Both chemicals are manufactured in China and elsewhere, including by major multinational companies, and are also marketed over the Internet. > advertisement > > It’s not clear why 1,4-butanediol was substituted, though there is a significant price difference. > > The Chinese online trading platform ChemNet China lists the price of 1,4-butanediol at between about $1,350-$2,800 per metric ton, while the price for 1,5-pentanediol is about $9,700 per metric ton. So some middle management grunt at the factory in China made the decision to go with the cheaper chemical; result–sick toddlers. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-this-whole-tainted-chinese-toys-thing-has-become-self-parody/425874/3 "2007-11-10T05:35:54Z")
It’s a big deal here in Australia. Several kids here who swallowed the little pieces of plastic have gotten extremely dangerously unwell. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-this-whole-tainted-chinese-toys-thing-has-become-self-parody/425874/4 "2007-11-10T05:57:12Z")
Is it ever the case that the cheaper chemical is the safer one? That would be ironic–a company goes out of their way to do the “right thing” by spending lots of money and then gets screwed over. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-this-whole-tainted-chinese-toys-thing-has-become-self-parody/425874/5 "2007-11-10T10:03:55Z")
Why is my mind’s eye seeing queues of frat boys in Toys 'R Us trying to buy these toys before they go off the shelves? ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-this-whole-tainted-chinese-toys-thing-has-become-self-parody/425874/6 "2007-11-10T12:29:47Z")
[QUOTE=MrDibble] Why is my mind’s eye seeing queues of frat boys in Toys 'R Us trying to buy these toys before they go off the shelves? [/QUOTE] Because they appear to be [doing just that](http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22732987-2862,00.html). ---
**Author:** ![tonedef](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@tonedef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tonedef)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-this-whole-tainted-chinese-toys-thing-has-become-self-parody/425874/7 "2007-11-10T12:45:36Z")
[QUOTE=Duck Duck Goose] Well, it’s not like they did it on purpose. From [this article](http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/11/08/toys.daterapedrug.ap/index.html?iref=newssearch) earlier today: So some middle management grunt at the factory in China made the decision to go with the cheaper chemical; result–sick toddlers. [/QUOTE] Not just toddlers there was a few kids around the age of 10ish that ended up in hospitable aswell. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-this-whole-tainted-chinese-toys-thing-has-become-self-parody/425874/8 "2007-11-10T12:51:24Z")
[QUOTE=GuanoLad] Because they appear to be [doing just that](http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22732987-2862,00.html). [/QUOTE] I was more thinking of the “date rape” uses rather than getting high, but damn! That is messed up. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-this-whole-tainted-chinese-toys-thing-has-become-self-parody/425874/9 "2007-11-10T13:29:44Z")
This story is a media wet dream—it manages to score multiple fear points: [ul] [li]Xenophobia (exacerbated by the specter of Chinese market domination)[/li][li]Drug hysteria (the “date rape” kind, no less—a media favorite!)[/li][li]Shadowy, amoral capitalists conspiring to make a buck by harming consumers[/li][li]What about the _children_???!![/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-this-whole-tainted-chinese-toys-thing-has-become-self-parody/425874/10 "2007-11-10T14:21:19Z")
[QUOTE=Vinyl Turnip] This story is a media wet dream—it manages to score multiple fear points: [ul] [li]Xenophobia (exacerbated by the specter of Chinese market domination)[/li][li]Drug hysteria (the “date rape” kind, no less—a media favorite!)[/li][li]Shadowy, amoral capitalists conspiring to make a buck by harming consumers[/li][li]What about the _children_???!![/li][/ul] [/QUOTE] This is what I’m wondering. How did they identify this as a “date rape” drug? Has it been used for that before? Is it like rohypnol? Or is it like GHB, the other date rape drug, which from my understanding is kind of like esctasy? Also, in terms of conspiracies, I suspect the producers of shows like SNL and The Daily Show, punishing their writers for going on strike. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-this-whole-tainted-chinese-toys-thing-has-become-self-parody/425874/11 "2007-11-10T14:23:26Z")
[QUOTE=saoirse] This is what I’m wondering. How did they identify this as a “date rape” drug? Has it been used for that before? Is it like rohypnol? Or is it like GHB, the other date rape drug, which from my understanding is kind of like esctasy? Also, in terms of conspiracies, I suspect the producers of shows like SNL and The Daily Show, punishing their writers for going on strike. [/QUOTE] GHB. That is, it metabolizes to GHB in the body, it’s not GHB on the beads. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-this-whole-tainted-chinese-toys-thing-has-become-self-parody/425874/12 "2007-11-10T14:38:42Z")
[QUOTE=Vinyl Turnip] This story is a media wet dream—it manages to score multiple fear points: [ul] [li]Xenophobia (exacerbated by the specter of Chinese market domination)[/li][li]Drug hysteria (the “date rape” kind, no less—a media favorite!)[/li][li]Shadowy, amoral capitalists conspiring to make a buck by harming consumers[/li][li]What about the _children_???!![/li][/ul] [/QUOTE] You forgot … profit! ---
**Author:** ![Ignatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3be4f8/32.png) [@Ignatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignatz)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-this-whole-tainted-chinese-toys-thing-has-become-self-parody/425874/13 "2007-11-10T14:51:03Z")
So are the frat boys going to say to the chicks in the bar, “Here, eat these toys!”? “Lick this”? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-this-whole-tainted-chinese-toys-thing-has-become-self-parody/425874/14 "2007-11-10T15:13:38Z")
Hmmm…would re-selling Aquadots constitute drug pushing? ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-this-whole-tainted-chinese-toys-thing-has-become-self-parody/425874/15 "2007-11-10T16:51:54Z")
Why the hell are parents letting young kids have a toy with easy to swallow pieces to begin with? ---
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-this-whole-tainted-chinese-toys-thing-has-become-self-parody/425874/16 "2007-11-10T17:49:36Z")
[QUOTE=adam yax] Why the hell are parents letting young kids have a toy with easy to swallow pieces to begin with? [/QUOTE] The risk is for chokable pieces, not necessarily easily-swallowed pieces. I’ve never seen Aquadots in person, but they look like something that could be swallowed without risk if they were non-toxic. I mean, parents let their kids play with Play-Do, which is regularly eaten, but it’s non-toxic (at least the package says it is). ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-this-whole-tainted-chinese-toys-thing-has-become-self-parody/425874/17 "2007-11-10T18:05:27Z")
Honestly, there really isn’t any risk of these being used as an actual date rape aid. I mean, what woman (most likely woman) is going to eat some small plastic beads, unless they _knew_ what was going to happen? (ie, ravers and the like.) ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-this-whole-tainted-chinese-toys-thing-has-become-self-parody/425874/18 "2007-11-10T18:15:30Z")
I was joking about the frat boys, people - the joke is that frat boys would be stupid enough to think it might work. ---
**Author:** ![askeptic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@askeptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/askeptic)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-this-whole-tainted-chinese-toys-thing-has-become-self-parody/425874/19 "2007-11-10T18:16:37Z")
[QUOTE=Vinyl Turnip] This story is a media wet dream—it manages to score multiple fear points: [ul] [li]Xenophobia (exacerbated by the specter of Chinese market domination)[/li][li]Drug hysteria (the “date rape” kind, no less—a media favorite!)[/li][li]Shadowy, amoral capitalists conspiring to make a buck by harming consumers[/li][li]What about the _children_???!![/li][/ul] [/QUOTE] Are you suggesting that China is not inundating the world markets with unsafe products? This is all manufactured fear mongering? ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-this-whole-tainted-chinese-toys-thing-has-become-self-parody/425874/20 "2007-11-10T19:25:12Z")
[QUOTE=Duck Duck Goose] Well, it’s not like they did it on purpose. From [this article](http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/11/08/toys.daterapedrug.ap/index.html?iref=newssearch) earlier today: So some middle management grunt at the factory in China made the decision to go with the cheaper chemical; result–sick toddlers. [/QUOTE] Given the fact that some of the other problems with health risks from Chinese imports also had to do with substitutions to save on costs, I think this is starting to sound like a systemic problem rather than a bad apple or two. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-this-whole-tainted-chinese-toys-thing-has-become-self-parody/425874.md?page=2)