China's quality control watchdog said today that initial investigations had found children's craft toys recently recalled around the world contained toxic substances, the Xinhua news agency reported.
Up to 500,000 of the Bindeez toys are being recalled across Ireland and Britain over concerns the product contains a chemical that converts to a powerful "date rape" drug when ingested.
Some 4.2 million of the Aqua Dots were recalled in the US this week and Australia announced a ban on the popular toy. Spain also announced a recall.
The toy involves arranging small, multi-coloured beads coated with glue into shapes and then spraying them with water to fix them together. Two American and three Australian children were hospitalised after playing with it.
China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) said the toys, products of Australia-based Moose Enterprises, were manufactured by the Wangqi Product Factory in China's southern city of Shenzhen.
China froze exports of the "Aqua Dots" yesterday.
AQSIQ said today it had also suspended the toy maker's export licence. The quality watchdog, battling a string of international recalls and safety scares that have stained the "made-in-China" brand, had promised a swift investigation.
The Chinese inquiry has already confirmed a US finding that the Aqua Dots contain a chemical, 1,4 butanediol, which can turn stimulate gamma hydroxy - also know as GHB - a toxic subsatnce that can cause unconsciousness, earning it notoriety as a "date rape" drug.