4.2 Million Toys with Date Rape Drugs

We have heard some crazy stories before but have you ever heard of a company using date rape drugs in their toys? Chances are you haven’t because the use of such drugs would be considered horrendous by nature and the company who would do such a thing might possibly find themselves out of business.U.S. safety officials recalled approximately 4.2 million toys marketed as Aqua Dots and Aqua Beads due to the toys possibly containing the “date rape” drug. The chemical used in the toys metabolizes when ingested by kids and turns into gamma hydroxy butyrate which is used by date rapists. This drug is known as “fantasy” on the street and causes breathing problems, loss of consciousness, seizures, drowsiness, coma and even death.The problem was first discovered in Australia and New Zealand when children who ingested the toys were rushed to the hospital after getting sick. Even an 18-month old boy who went into the hospital drowsy was a victim of the toys. A total of 9 children in the U.S. have been affected.The toys were going to be a hot item this year and both Wal-Mart and Toys “R” Us were selling these items throughout out the country. It is difficult to blame the companies as they didn’t manufacture the toys and don’t do any studies after purchasing them. However, it may seem very unnerving to the many people who purchase items from these stores.After a number of the toys were sent back to China the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine confirmed that the toys did contain the date rape drug. The Chinese Government admits that Wangqi Product Factory in the Southern City of Shenzhen produced the toys.China, in an attempt to counter the damage, barred the company from further exports and suspended the toy maker’s export license. Many other countries also received these toys and began to raise concerns of China’s quality after government inspectors to start exporting initially confirmed the toys.The Lesson for Businesses: The quality versus price debate has taken a new round of discussion. Many public officials, companies and the public members have promoted the concept that simply because a product is cheap doesn’t make it good. American manufacturers focus on quality while the Chinese are focusing on price. In recent years price has been wining as people become addicted to cheap imports.The recent Chinese scandals may become a selling point for many American manufacturers who tout their quality above everything else. Their products are better built, last longer and are just a little higher cost then the Chinese ones. As the dollar declines the American high-quality products become more in demand.If American manufacturers can keep lowering the cost of their products without hurting their quality their products will become more desirable to people overseas. People want quality but when the American product is 20% over the cost of imports most uninformed consumers take the cheaper alternative. Likewise it is difficult to determine who actually manufacturers these products. The government should consider requiring the country of origin be placed in a highly visible spot on the front of the product.