The government warned consumers on Friday to avoid using
toothpaste made in China because it may contain a poisonous
chemical used in antifreeze.
Out of caution, the Food and Drug Administration said, people
should throw away toothpaste with labeling that states it was made
in China. FDA is concerned that these products may contain
diethylene glycol.
The agency is not aware of any reports in the United States of
poisoning from toothpaste, but it did find the antifreeze
ingredient in a shipment at the US border and at two retail stores:
a Dollar Plus store in Miami and a Todo A Peso store in Puerto
Rico.
Officials said they are primarily concerned about toothpaste
sold at bargain retail outlets. The ingredient in question, called
DEG, is used as a lower-cost sweetener and thickening agent. The
highest concentration of the chemical found in toothpaste so far
was between 3-4 percent.
"It does not belong in toothpaste even in small concentrations,"
said the FDA's Deborah M. Autor.
The FDA increased its scrutiny of toothpaste made in China
because of reports of contamination in several countries, including
Panama.
The agency is particularly concerned about chronic exposure to
DEG in children and in people with kidney or liver disease.
Agency officials said they had no estimate of how many tubes of
tainted toothpaste might have made it into the U.S.
"Our concern today is potentially about all toothpaste that
comes in from China," Autor said. "Our estimate is that China makes
up about $3.3 million of the $2 billion U.S. toothpaste
market."
The agency also issued an import alert for all dental products
containing DEG. The alert means that toothpaste from China will be
stopped at the border, she said.
The alert states that DEG has been improperly used in a variety
of sedatives, syrups and cough medicines worldwide. Most recently,
a cough syrup containing DEG resulted in more than 40 deaths in
Panama last September.
The alert says the agency found DEG in three products
manufactured by Goldcredit International Trading in China. The
products are Cooldent Fluoride, Cooldent Spearmint and Cooldent
ICE. Analysis of the products revealed that they contained between
3 percent and 4 percent DEG.
The agency also found the chemical in one product manufactured
by Suzhou City Jinmao Daily Chemical Co. in China. Analysis of that
product, Shir Fresh Mint Fluoride Paste, found that it contained
about 1 percent DEG.
(China Daily via AP June 2, 2007)