Chinese Toothpaste Scare Hits Colgate

Remember the Chinese toothpaste scare that broke 2 weeks ago? At the time, the Food & Drug Administration noted that only off-brand products might carry the toxic tainting with diethylene glycol (DEG). Well, now comes word that products carrying the Colgate name might also be affected.

FDA announced that it had confirmed it had identified "counterfeit" toothpaste, imported from South Africa, carrying the Colgate name. It wasn't made by Colgate, but had been fraudulently labeled as such, according to spokespersons for the company. Colgate doesn't have manufacturing plants in South Africa or import toothpaste from there.

Yesterday, Colgate-Palmolive reported that the misbranded product "has been found in several dollar-type discount stores in four states: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. There are indications that this product does not contain fluoride and may contain Diethylene Glycol." Clues that will help recognize these fakes: they're labeled as coming from South Africa and contain misspellings, such as South Afrlca and South African Dental Assoxiation.

DEG, as you may recall, is a solvent commonly used as an anti-freeze. It's poisonous and doesn't belong in anything that makes contact with the mouth. In some developing countries, low-cost DEG is substituted for the more costly glycerin, a popular sweetener used in liquid over-the-counter and prescription-drug products—and now, apparently, in toothpastes as well.

Just a month before the DEG-toothpaste link made news, FDA warned drug manufacturers and health professionals that unscrupulous foreign firms had occasionally been swapping the toxic DEG for glycerin. In one episode last September, in Panama, DEG tainted medicines resulted in 40 deaths.

"Colgate is working closely with the US FDA to help to identify those responsible for the counterfeit product," a company press release announced yesterday. It recommended that consumers who suspect they may have purchased such a fake to call Colgate's toll-free number at (800)-468-6502.

Antifreeze Doesn't Belong in Toothpastes

Few people would knowingly reach for a tube of Chinese toothpaste—at least in a U.S. supermarket, pharmacy, or big-box store. However, a number of bargain brands are, in fact, Chinese imports. And even that wouldn't necessarily be a problem, except that our Food & Drug Administration inspectors have identified several shipments of these Chinese toothpastes tainted with a poison: diethylene glycol (DEG), also known as diglycol.

On June 1, FDA issued an "import alert" about these products" and announced that: "Out of an abundance of caution," it recommends that consumers pitch out away toothpaste labeled as originating in China.

DEG is an antifreeze and solvent used in many commercial resins, dyes, oils and organic chemicals. It's also a "humectant"—an additive that keeps products moist—for tobacco, cork and glues. Although toxic to animals, including humans, China permits the use of DEG in toothpastes. The United States does not. In some of the imported products tested by FDA, DEG constituted 3 to 4% by weight of the toothpastes. Not all of the products were even labeled as containing DEG.

FDA identified about a dozen different brands of tainted toothpastes—none major name brands. Interestingly, none of the contaminated brands had received an American Dental Association Seal of Acceptance either. This is a designation that ADA deems the labeled product safe and effective.

According to FDA, DEG is commonly used in some developing countries as a cheap substitute for glycerin and propylene glycol. Where it has been used in products such as over-the-counter cough syrups and pain relievers, deaths have resulted.

Bottom line: Sometimes it pays to ante up for a name brand, or at least one with a medical group's seal of approval.