The date-rape drug: at toystores everywhere

So it turns out that 4 million Aqua Dots toys have been recalled in the United States. The reason? The China-produced toys are coated in a chemical that, when swallowed, metabolizes into gamma-hydroxy butyrate (GHB), more commonly known as the date-rape drug.

The date-rape drug is dangerous enough for adults, but when a four-year-old ingests it, smaller amounts can produce deadly effects. Two American children are in unresponsive comas because of ingesting pieces of the toy, and three Australian children have been hospitalized as well.

What I don't understand is how it's possible to allow such a toy onto the shelves in the first place. How can a toy be coated in a chemical and then sold to children without someone checking to see what happens when the chemical is swallowed? Don't toy creators check the toxicity of their materials before giving their products to children? Kids stick things in their mouths - they don't know any better. It should be common sense for producers to make sure their products are not pernicious.

It's another example in a long line of imports, a good deal of which are from China, that have been tainted or in some way do not meet American safety standards. This discrepancy clearly needs to be reconciled, before it endangers more people.

Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt recently headed an advisory panel that made more than fifty recommendations to President Bush for improving the safety of imports, including tougher inspection regulations (the full text of the panel's findings can be found here). Although Bush has reportedly endorsed the report, Democrats in the House and Senate have questioned how the administration will fund or implement the suggestions. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) went so far as to say, "Based on this administration's track record and philosophy, I have low expectations for their willingness to exercise these new authorities and ultimately, their willingness to implement this report."

To be sure, implementing stricter codes would be costly and time-consuming. According to the report presented by Leavitt, the United States is currently importing $2 trillion worth of products from more than 800,000 sources to more than 300 ports-of-entry. It could very well be an infrasturctural and bureaucratic nightmare.

But then again, as globalization permeates every sphere of life and more and more products are flooding the market, regulation will inevitably lead to intricate bureaucratic procedures and increased costs. If we can spend $457 billion on an unpopular war (as of Sept. 30, 2007), I think some money can be siphoned into protecting Americans from potentially deadly imports.

If children are being exposed to the date-rape drug, and the simple childhood activity of sticking your toys in your mouth (which all of us have done at one point or another) is resulting in seizures and comas, Congress and the administration urgently need to find a way to toughen import regulations. These incidents are disturbing, infuriating, and above all, preventable.