Chinese-made toys in new safety storm

A line of Chinese-made toys was removed from store shelves on Wednesday following reports that at least seven children in the US, Australia and New Zealand were hospitalized after swallowing contaminated beads from the product. The toy in question, called Aqua Dots in the US and Bindeez in Australia, features small beads that stick together when they get wet. Moose Enterprise, the Australian firm that manufactures the toy, said the problem had been traced to a Chinese factory, although it did not give the identity of the supplier, the Wall Street Journal reported. Moose claimed that the factory cut corners by replacing a safe type of glue with a toxic chemical that, if ingested, acts much like a date rape drug and can cause seizures, comas or death. US and Chinese officials were said to be close to a "groundbreaking" deal on product safety this week.