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Politics

FDA says throw away toothpaste made in China

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published June 2, 2007

WASHINGTON - 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 says it was made in China. The FDA is concerned that these products may contain diethylene glycol.

The FDA is not aware of any cases of poisoning from toothpaste in the United States, but it did find the antifreeze ingredient in a shipment at the U.S. 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 alert follows a pet-food scandal in the United States involving China. It was revealed that Chinese-produced melamine scrap was mixed with wheat gluten and rice protein to make pet food, leading to the deaths of dogs and cats and a product recall.

Agency officials said they had no estimate of how many tubes of tainted toothpaste might have made it into the United States. "Our estimate is that China makes up about $3.3-million of the $2-billion U.S. toothpaste market, " the FDA's Deborah Autor said.

The FDA increased its scrutiny of toothpaste made in China because of reports of contamination in several countries, including Panama.

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 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 it contained about 1 percent DEG.

DEG "does not belong in toothpaste even in small concentrations, " Autor said.

The agency is particularly concerned about chronic exposure to DEG in children and in people with kidney or liver disease.

The agency also issued an import alert Friday for all dental products containing DEG. The alert means toothpaste from China will be stopped at the border, she said.

[Last modified June 2, 2007, 02:01:09]