A toothpaste warning issued by the US Food and Drug Administration that cautioned consumers against the use of toothpastes made in China was strongly dismissed by the Chinese food-safety watchdog, which labeled the FDA warning as “irresponsible”.
The US government on Friday issued a warning against the use of China-made toothpastes, saying they may contain a toxic chemical diethylene glycol (DEG).
FDA’s warning to discard all Chinese made toothpastes was issued when the US health watchdog FDA found the presence of DEG in Chinese-made toothpastes at three stores: a Dollar Plus store in Miami, a Todo A Peso store in Puerto Rico and a store in Los Angeles.
However, calling the FDA’s warning "unscientific, irresponsible and contradictory", China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) in a statement posted on its Web site late Saturday said that low levels of diethylene glycol have been deemed safe for consumption.
In response to the FDA notice, AQSIQ said, "Our research shows that toothpaste containing up to 15.6 percent diethylene glycol, the chemical that the US side is concerned about, is safe, even after prolonged use."
"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," AQSIQ said in the statement.
Diethylene Glycol or DEG is an inexpensive chemical used in industrial products such as in antifreeze, brake fluids and various solvents. It is used by counterfeiters as a substitute for Glycerin, a relatively expensive but safe additive commonly found in food, drugs and household products. Glycerin is used as a thickening agent and a sweetener in toothpaste.
DEG poisoning is an important public safety issue. This came into light when the deadly chemical was used in cold medicines in Panama resulting in the death of about 100 people. This has led to an international outcry regarding the safety standards of Chinese exports.
China's food regulator said that all the toothpaste exported to the United States had been registered by the U.S. health agency for marketing in the country. They also said that a list of the ingredients in the toothpaste exported to the US had been offered to the FDA. The list included diethylene glycol.
The AQSIQ further contends that the FDA’s concerns about the chemicals’ quantity in Chinese toothpastes is useless as even EU standards allow for a certain amount of chemical, and a Chinese study in 2000 found toothpaste containing less than 15.6 percent of the drug was not harmful.
FDA said that various brands such as Cooldent, Clean Rite and Oralmax have been found to be contaminated; some of them have the concentration of DEG as high as 3 to 4 percent.
According to the FDA, the companies manufacturing products containing DEG are Goldcredit International Enterprises Ltd., Goldcredit International Trading Co. Ltd., and Suzhou City Jinmao Daily Chemicals Co. Ltd.
The US health agency is concerned about the fact that DEG can pose a low but significant risk of toxicity and injury to children and people suffering from kidney or liver diseases, on chronic exposure to the chemical.
However, experts from the Chinese Health Ministry deemed the chemical a "low-level" poison that does not accumulate in the human body. They also said that there is no evidence that the chemical in question can cause cancer or deformities.
The AQSIQ has lodged a representation to the FDA and urged the US health watchdog to clarify the facts in a scientific manner at the earliest.
Meanwhile, in order to limit the adverse effects, FDA has issued an import alert on Friday for all dental products containing DEG. All brands will be tested for DEG and those which contained DEG previously will have to prove that the chemical is no longer present.
As per the reports, China accounts for about $3.3 million out of the $2 billion toothpaste market in America.
DEG is bad. No idea why the USFDA is trying to please the Chinese by only issuing a consumer discretion notice - they should simply ban it.