A popular Chinese-made children's toy is being pulled from Canadian store shelves over worries that a similar toy sold in Australia contains a chemical that converts into a powerful "date rape'' drug when swallowed.

The toy sold in Canada is called Aqua Dots and is similar to a product sold in Australia called Bindeez.

The toys contain beads that are arranged into designs and fuse together when sprayed with water.

Scientists in Australia say tests have revealed that the beads contain a chemical that the body metabolizes into the "date rape'' drug GHB (gamma hydroxy butyrate). The compound can induce unconsciousness, seizures, drowsiness, coma and death.

A two-year-old Australian boy and a 10-year-old girl were admitted to a Sydney hospital after swallowing large quantities of the beads. As well, a 19-month-old toddler from Queensland was also reportedly receiving medical help after eating the beads. All the incidents occurred in the last 10 days.

Australian officials have pulled Bindeez from store shelves.

In Canada, Toys R Us and Mastermind Toys say they have been asked by the Canadian manufacturer of Aqua Dots, Spin Master Toys, to pull the product from their store shelves while the company investigates the product.

The product is distributed in 40 countries.

Bindeez and Aqua Dots are reportedly made at the same factory, in Shenzhen in China's southern Guangdong province.

The toys were supposed to use 1,5-pentanediol, a nontoxic compound found in glue, but instead contained the harmful 1,4-butanediol, which is widely used in cleaners and plastics. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1999 declared the chemical a Class I Health Hazard, meaning it can cause life-threatening harm.

Last week, the Cchinese government announced an export ban on more than 700 toy factories in the Shenzhen region because of shoddy products.

Canada's Health Minister Tony Clement is promising more action in the coming weeks to improve product safety in the marketplace.