Is was reported that this chemical was used because it was cheaper than the non-toxic alternative.
Doesn't matter where the parent was. Parents can't have their eyes on the kids every moment. Kids will put things in their mouth and swallow things. This coating shouldn't be used for this reason, just as lead paint shouldn't be used on toys.
I'm sure those parents would've put it under lock and key and only allowed their kid to play with it under their supervision, IF it was disclosed on the packaging that swallowing the beads would result in violent vomitting and coma.
Rachael,
I despise the "War on Everything" too. Are you aware of the rash of unsafe products that we've experience in the past year. Two from China that come to mind are dog food and flip flops. The former killing many people's pets and the later causing people's feet to blister and peel under the straps of the flip flops.
Ultimately, the issue is lax safety regulations. Not that regs are much better here, we also had the spinach, peanut butter, hamburger recalls that were packaged here.
I looked at the article again and didn't see a reference to MDMA, or missed it. What I read was
The chemical culprit of all this is 1,4-butanediol, which breaks down into gamma hydroxy butyrate, also known as the "date rape drug."
which was supported by other articles I read. What is MDMA?