FDA on look out for tainted toothpaste from China

FDA on look out for tainted toothpaste from China The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will begin testing samples of all toothpaste imported into the United States from China to check for the presence of diethylene glycol, a poisonous antifreeze ingredient and solvent, the New York Times reported Thursday.
   Earlier this month, the FDA warned pharmaceutical manufacturers, suppliers, drug repackers and pharmacists to make sure that glycerin, a sweetener commonly used worldwide in liquid over-the-counter and prescription drugs, is not contaminated with diethylene glycol.
   The most recent incident occurred in Panama in September 2006 and involved DEG-contaminated glycerin used in cough syrup, which resulted in dozens of hospitalizations for serious injury and more than 40 deaths. The Panamanian government accidentally mixed the industrial solvent with thousands of bottles of cold medicine believing the mislabeled bulk shipment from China was glycol syrup.
   Officials in Panama and the Dominican Republic have seized tens of thousands of tubes of toothpaste with diethylene glycol listed as an ingredient. But an FDA spokesman told the Times that there is no evidence that tainted toothpaste has been imported into the United States.
   China is one of the largest exporters of toothpaste in the world and the government is now investigating reports that some manufacturers used the chemical in certain brands of toothpaste.
   The news is the latest in a series of discoveries about the quality of imported food grade materials and the trustworthiness of manufacturers claims about ingredients used to make their products. The two-month-old pet food scandal, in which Chinese suppliers of protein supplement wheat gluten substituted a cheaper chemical used to make plastic and fertilizer, has brought increased attention to global sourcing of foodstuffs and quality controls in international supply chains.