Bonners Ferry Local Guide including all of Boundary County Idaho

FDA issues warning about tainted toothpaste

Friday, June 1, 2007; KTVB

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 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 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 highest concentration of the chemical found in toothpaste so far was between 3-4 percent, but health officials said it does not belong in toothpaste even in small concentrations. 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. The FDA listed the following brands in the alert: Cooldent Fluoride, Cooldent Spearmint, Cooldent ICE, Dr. Cool, Everfresh Toothpaste, Superdent Toothpaste, Clean Rite Toothpaste, Oralmax Extreme, Oral Bright Fresh Spearmint Flavor, Bright Max Peppermint Flavor, and ShiR Fresh Mint Fluoride Paste. Manufacturers of those toothpaste products are Goldcredit International Enterprises Limited, Goldcredit International Trading Company Limited, and Suzhou City Jinmao Daily Chemicals Company Limited. - Full Story