Chinese lace toy beads with Liquid X
This toy was Made in China, of course. I guess 1,4 butanediol, which is a compound used in plastics, is a lot cheaper than 1,5 pentanediol, which is used in nontoxic glues.
When ingested, 1,4 butanediol is converted to Gamma Hydroxy Butyrate (GHB), or, to put it in layman’s terms, which Yahoo! doesn’t like to use, “Liquid Ecstasy.” It’s clear and looks like water, so no wonder it’s been such a popular date rape drug. (The link takes you to an article about both ecstasy and GHB).
GHB is different than regular ecstasy in that ecstasy contains the compound MDMA and that it GHB is a colorless, odorless liquid, not a powder or a pill, like regular ecstasy.
So when you start doing your Christmas shopping for your kids or friends, remember than 90% of all toys in the USA are made in China. It’s up to you whether or not you want to start eating Aqua Dots, but try to keep it away from children. 
Mr. Salk said,
November 8, 2007 at 6:39 pm
At first I thought it was funny to whip up conspiracy theory and accuse China of poisoning the USA. But it’s for real, man.
dianarn said,
November 8, 2007 at 6:51 pm
You better believe it’s real. The problem is, do you really think this is something new? They just “discovered” the lead in paint, the diethylene glycol in toothpaste, the butanediol in beads, etc., but I think they’ve been there for many, many years, and somebody finally got the word out. They didn’t just add this stuff to toys last month and got caught yesterday. We may never know if it’s done because it’s cheaper or with real malicious intent, but you would think if our government cared about our safety so much, they would at least test a toy or two once a year to make sure it’s ok.
reflux1 said,
November 8, 2007 at 9:22 pm
And for how hyped up the neo-con jobs are about terrorism, how about purposely poisoning our children and killing our animals??? That sounds like terrorism to me, send in the god damned marines!!! But hey, at least if you need a cheap high you can buy childrens toys and ingest them :0), no need for that pesky middle-man.
dianarn said,
November 8, 2007 at 9:44 pm
The thing that makes me think it was intentional is that these are little brightly colored balls that look like candy. It would make me want to put one in my mouth and see what it feels like, much less a 6-year old. And also, you have to spray them with water to make them stick. How many kids do you think held them in their hands while they were wet? Your skin absorbs so much stuff–that’s why there’s so many topical medicines. It’s bio-terrorism, pure and simple. But you don’t see anybody calling it that because only the “Islamo-fascists” are terrorists. The Communist Chinese are the good guys.
Micah Tillman said,
November 8, 2007 at 11:34 pm
I remember back when China was going to be next threat (see the movie US Marshals). Then the Islamic Terrorism thing happened. Now it seems like China wants its “Make America Feel Threatened” job back . . .
Mr. Salk said,
November 9, 2007 at 11:58 am
Just the tip of the iceberg. It’s not just Children’s toys either : Lead in Lipstick.
I sincerely don’t think the Chinese have poisoned us out of malice; it’s just a byproduct of capitalism without regulation.
dianarn said,
November 9, 2007 at 1:14 pm
Yeah, you’re probably right. When I lived in Romania, when it was still under communist regime, they would do everything to cut costs and increase productivity. They would always try to substitute materials for cheaper ones and not think twice if it was safe or not.
There are better ways to kill people faster than with lead and drugs… that’s why we all have race-specific bio-weapons.
Mr. Salk said,
November 9, 2007 at 2:06 pm
It’s a simple test, if the dangerous ingredient wasn’t the cheapest available, sound the alarm.
And malt liquor is not a bio-weapon.
dianarn said,
November 9, 2007 at 2:35 pm
*Phew* now I can start drinking it again.