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Tainted toothpaste found in jails
29/06/2007 14:04 - (SA)
Atlanta - Thousands of tubes of contaminated Chinese-made toothpaste were shipped to state prisons and mental hospitals in Georgia, officials said Thursday, a sign that US distribution of the tainted products was wider than initially thought.
The disclosure came as China insisted the safety of its products was "guaranteed", making a rare direct comment on spreading international fears over tained and adulterated exports.
China "has paid great attention" to the safety of its exports, especially food, because it concerns people's health, Commerce Ministry spokesperson Wang Xinpei said.
"It can be said that the quality of China's exports all are guaranteed," Wang told reporters at a regularly scheduled briefing.
Officials with the Georgia state prison system and with the agencies that run mental hospitals and juvenile detention centres said they knew of no health problems stemming from the Chinese products.
They said the toothpaste contaminated with diethylene glycol, which is often found in antifreeze, was immediately taken out of use as soon as federal officials notified the state about the problem.
The US Food and Drug Administration advised consumers to "avoid using tubes of toothpaste labeled as made in China", according to a statement posted on the agency's website.
Banned by numerous countries
"Out of an abundance of caution, FDA suggests that consumers throw away toothpaste labeled as made in China," the statement said.
Chinese-made toothpaste has been banned by numerous countries in Asia and the Americas for containing diethylene glycol, or DEG. It is also a low-cost - and sometimes deadly - substitute for glycerin, a sweetener in many drugs.
The New York Times reported on Thursday that about 900 000 tubes have turned up in the United States, including correctional facilities and some hospitals, not just at discount stores as initially thought.
Rick Beal in the purchasing division of the Georgia Department of Administrative Services told The Associated Press that cases of the tainted toothpaste were sent to two state prisons, five state psychiatric hospitals and four juvenile detention facilities.
No reports of health problems
Beal said that when the FDA notified the state about contamination with diethylene glycol, the toothpaste was taken out of use.
Tracy J Smith, a spokesperson for the Georgia Department of Corrections, said the prison system had no reports of any health problems related to the toothpaste.
Thomas Wilson, a spokesperson for the Georgia Department of Human Resources, which oversees the state's seven mental hospitals, said on Thursday that after getting the FDA advisory on June 8, the tubes of tainted toothpaste were immediately pulled and replaced with name-brand toothpaste.
"We asked our clinical directors to be on the lookout for any signs of poisoning or symptoms," Wilson said. "We've not have anybody ill. We are continuing to monitor the situation."
Chinese exports came under scrutiny earlier this year with the deaths of dogs and cats blamed on Chinese wheat gluten tainted with the chemical melamine.
Since then, US authorities have turned away or recalled toxic fish, juice containing unsafe colour additives and popular toy trains decorated with lead paint.
- AP
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