A voluntary recall of Chinese-made Bindeez toy beads has been extended to South Africa, News24 reported on Thursday.
This after it was discovered that certain batches of the beads, which stick together when exposed to water, are coated with a chemical which, when ingested, metabolises into the date-rape drug gamma-hydroxybutyrate, also known as liquid ecstasy.
Just Fun Toys — which represents Bindeez manufacturer Moose Enterprises Australia in South Africa — said the firm had been notified to conduct a voluntary recall.
The beads ”did not match the laboratory tested and approved formula”, the website quoted Just Fun Toys brand manager Sonia de Andrade as saying.
The company’s customers had been contacted and asked to withdraw all Bindeez stock from their shelves.
Agence France-Presse reported on Wednesday that Australian officials introduced a nationwide ban on the toy. Three children had been hospitalised after falling unconscious when they ingested the tiny beads. The toy was also pulled from shelves in North America.
Moose Enterprises said its products were manufactured by internationally approved toy manufacturers in China and subject to world-standard independent testing. – Sapa