Health Alert: Toxic Cheap Toothpaste
Tainted Chinese toothpaste may
be dangerous to children.
Cheap Chinese toothpaste containing antifreeze ingredient.
When I about this FDA warning concerning toothpaste made in China, I was interested to see why, in this particular case, the FDA stepped in and protected the American public. It seems that it may be more political than oversight in perhaps attempting to embarrass the Chinese government. I guess this shouldn’t surprise me since the Bush administration uses the American people as guinea pigs for unsafe products. What’s so fascinating about this case is that it wasn’t the FDA who inspected and found this unsafe product, it was an alert consumer in Panama who noticed that diethylene glycol was listed as an ingredient in the Chinese toothpaste. This was after over 100 deaths were reported in Panama due to the Panamanian government inadvertently mixing the poison made in China into 260,000 bottles of cold medicine. So, how did the FDA get involved, and what does China have to say about it? It’s enough to make you sick — literally.
According to a New York Times article, diethylene glycol was not listed on the label of the toothpaste found in the Miami store but the FDA inspected it because of the discovery in Panama of tens of thousands of tubes of tainted toothpaste made in China. It appears that “counterfeiters have found it profitable to substitute diethylene glycol for its chemical cousin, glycerin, which is usually more expensive”. Glycerin is known to be a safe additive which is commonly found in food, drugs and household products and in toothpaste, and is used as a thickening agent.
The FDA said they found toothpaste containing a small amount of diethylene glycol at a Dollar Plus retail store in Miami under the name ShiR Fresh Mint Fluoride Paste. They also identified nine other brands of Chinese toothpaste that contain diethylene glycol, some with concentrations of 3 to 4 percent. The Chinese-made brands were typically sold at low-cost, “bargain” retail outlets under the names Cooldent Fluoride, Cooldent Spearmint, Cooldent ICE, Dr. Cool, Superdent, Clean Rite, Oralmax Extreme, Oral Bright, and Bright Max.
Out of the thousands of containers containing imported foods,
approximately 2 percent get get sampled
What is interesting to note is that although there are no reports of anyone being harmed by the toothpaste, the Food and Drug Administration warned consumers not to use the product because it had a “low but meaningful risk of toxicity and injury” to children and people with kidney or liver disease. When I think about all the other American-made products that I have reported in my Health Alerts that have a similar “low but meaningful risk of toxicity and injury”, but for which the FDA has done nothing, it is alarming to me. It makes me think that the FDA may have another motive behind this warning for the Chinese product.
What China has to say about it is even more upsetting. According to AMERICAblog.com, China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said in a statement posted on its Web site over the weekend:
So far we have not received any report of death resulting from using the toothpaste. The U.S. handling (of this case) is neither scientific nor responsible.
So does someone have to die before the Chinese will stop polluting and contaminating its food products with poisons and dangerous substances for the sake of low cost? It’s sad, but today the FDA takes the same stand. According to another New York Times article, “China, which in one decade has become the third-largest exporter of food, by value, to the United States, sent 199,000 shipments, of which less than 2 percent were sampled.” With so little inspections, it’s no wonder that unsafe and dangerous food products are being consumed by Americans. And, what’s worse is that once a problem is detected, usually the FDA holds off on recalls until people or animals have died and even then it has been known to drag its feet. Critics in Washington are now beginning to warn that the agency is woefully understaffed and under financed to keep America’s food supply safe.
We need to regain our consumer protections that these huge government bureaucracies were created to ensure. But with a budget constrained by an administration that wants to drastically limit federal regulations of business, I don’t see it happening any time soon even though critics have come out in the open to assail the administration. So, all I can say is “buyer beware” and hope that you’re not one of those who become ill or die from the lack of oversight and just plain greed.
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Wait diethylene glycol was actually listed as an ingredient? If I remember right the stuff in antifreeze is just ethylene glycol, but I’m sure the extra dose of ethylene doesn’t make it safer.
It would be bad enough if it had slipped in somehow, but if it was listed on the side that means they obviously knew it was in there. I mean you learn early on that antifreeze is a particularly bad poison because it actually tastes good, pets really like it. I’m still blow away by the fact that one of the most common poisons ended up on the ingredient list. And the FDA didn’t notice.
Supposedly, it was only listed on some of the toothpaste packages, but not all. From what I have learned lately is the fault lies on the Bush Administration. Bush had severely cut the budget form the FDA to the point where they are seriously under-managed and understaffed. His alleged rationale was that the FDA was making it too hard for corporations to do business in the States and therefor cut funding to many of the organizations that regulate those companies. You know, because those poor billion dollar corporations need more profit or the world will explode?! Right?
Great post. I was not aware that there was so much food being imported from China. Recently, I bought an 8 pack of Juicy Juice apple juice for my toddler. I was shocked to learn that there was “Product of China” printed in very small font on the clear plastic wrapping. I plan on returning this product promptly. I would never give something made in China to my kids to eat or drink. I am Chinese and most of my Chinsese friends in the U.S. have long avoided these products.
Eugenia, apple juice from China!? It is one thing to have a piece of furniture from China but it is another thing to eat or drink something from China. The fact that it was printed in small print on the clear plastic wrapping that most people throw out when they open the product tells me that the company doesn’t really want to let people know about this but are probably required to. I also have kids and am shocked!
Thanks the comments Eugenia and Donald. I am glad we could help prevent you children from getting into potentially toxic products. If you would like more information on children and health alerts, just click here. Hope to hear from you all again!
What! One is to avoid eating at restaurants or buying food in Chinatown? There is a large one here in S.F. Do the Chinese merchants get food from China. I thought that was the appeal.
Stan, I guess you never know with food that you don’t prepare yourself. However, when I do buy things for Asian cooking, many of the ingrediants are from the USA and for those ingrediants that I can’t get US products, I try to get stuff made in Taiwan or Japan where the standards are substantially higher than China.
The “Made-in-China” label is getting a makeover by Beijing government officials. There’s tightened health and safety regulations, like for Chinese exports of foods, along with stepped-up enforcement by the government.
Unfortunately, the “Made in China” label is tarnished forever. Maybe what’s need is testing by an independent group, like our Consumer Reports or Guaranteed by Good Housekeeping. Which “Seal of Approval” would work? “Made Safely In China” or “Inspected by ____?” What new slogan will nix all the recent bad stuff, like lead in paints on toys? I don’t know. And how can one revamp all the “U.S. products” made in China labels? Would any new slogan help? //By Gawk! Mucho Big Bucks could be made if one can think up the right slogan// Or, would merely the passage of time solve the problem?
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Scout’s Honor — Another massive Made-in-China recall, this time Cub Scout badges on 10-5-2007 because of lead paint. The Boy Scouts of America are recalling more than a million badges. The made-in-China plastic “totem” badges are painted blue and yellow with the words “Progress Toward Ranks.” They are worn on the little guys’ shirt pockets. Get this! About 1.5 million badges are in circulation since year 2000.
Kahoot Products Inc., of Roswell, Ga. is making a voluntary recall and asking parents to take the badges away from their children.
Oh well. Oh well. Oh well. Oh well. Oooooooh well!
For the full news article click on:
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN0518891020071005
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Lead in toys again! — this time in Chinese-made Curious George dolls, marketed by Marvel. Someone is doing something about it. The Center for Environmental Health in Oakland, Calif is bringing out the legal guns, gunning for action, sending a legal complaint to Marvel Entertainment which markets the little monkey doll. For in-depth story, click on:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/10/11/MNGESO2DL.DTL&hw=Curious+George&sn=001&sc=1000