HONG KONG, Nov. 30 (UPI) -- The Chinese company that manufactured poisoned toy beads made a public apology for not testing the manufacturing process against food regulations.
Officials recalled the beads, sold under the names Aqua Dots or Bindeez, following the discovery that the glue ingredient used in the manufacturing process contained a chemical that metabolizes into gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid, an illegal "date-rape" drug.
"Our apologies to all the children who ate the beads by accident and their parents, and overseas consumers," the Hong Kong manufacturer of the beads, JSSY, said in a statement.
Liao Chu-yuan, the chairman and owner of JSSY, said the company didn't check the ingredients against U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulations, noting they scrapped an alternative ingredient over a potential choking hazard, The New York Times said Friday.
Several children reportedly lapsed into brief comas following the ingestion of the beads.
