Posted on 06/16/2007 5:16:09 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
Federal authorities have discovered at a Silver Spring, Md., discount store fake "Colgate" toothpaste contaminated with the same poisonous chemical that has been found in some Chinese toothpaste.
Colgate's legitimate manufacturer, the Colgate-Palmolive Co., which is the world's largest toothpaste maker, yesterday warned that the counterfeit product, labeled as being manufactured in South Africa, was found in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania as well as in Silver Spring.
Food and Drug Administration inspectors found the toothpaste containing diethylene glycol at the Dollar Power Store on 16th Street in Silver Spring. Diethylene glycol is a poison used in antifreeze and brake fluid. It also is used as a lower-cost substitute for the sweetener glycerin.
The Silver Spring tube tested positive for the chemical, while two other tubes tested negative, the FDA said.
The counterfeit toothpaste is labeled as "Manufactured in South Africa," Colgate said yesterday, although the New York consumer products manufacturer, does not import toothpaste into the U.S. from that country.
The rest of the store's purported Colgate from South Africa was destroyed, according to a store employee who asked that her name not be used.
She added that she did not think any of the suspect toothpaste had been sold.
The store's owner could not be reached for comment.
The FDA is attempting to trace the product back to its source. It will expand its investigation to other states if there is evidence that the counterfeit toothpaste was shipped to other states.
Colgate-Palmolive said it does not use and has never used diethylene glycol as a Colgate toothpaste ingredient.
It is not certain that the toothpaste actually came from South Africa, according to FDA spokesman Doug Arbesfeld.
(Excerpt) Read more at insider.washingtontimes.com ...
PING!
I bet!
It’s a good rule of thumb not to buy anything you might ingest from a “discount” store.
Most of the owner/managers of dollar stores I see seem to be immigrants...
Mrs VS
Most of the merchandise sold in dollar stores are cheap for a reason, but that is no big deal if you are buying paint brushes or wrapping paper, etc.
how are you supposed to know when something is from china when it is incorporated into other products? or when it simply says distributed by xxx and lists a domestic company!! THE FDA IS SLEEPING ON THE JOB. they could fix this!!!
http://www.adclassix.com/classictvcommercials/1948pepsodenttoothpaste.htm
Any info on how to spot the countefeit stuff so we can be sure we don’t have any and don’t buy any?
I just looked at my Crest and Colgate and they only say “Distributed by...”
They don’t say who made them or where.
I no longer buy anything that does not say where it was made period
You get what you pay for in Merlind. That includes State politics AND toothpaste. Our dumbass governor is definitely contaminated with something. He's got the stink of the D'Alessandro party all over him.
Outstanding post! Health alert! BTTT!
I haven't a clue.
Hoo boy. This is like the Tylenol scandal except now the culprits are putting out copies instead of buying products, adulterating them, and returning them to store shelves.
According to an earlier thread about the first batches discovered, they were all five ounce tubes. I beleive that it usually comes in 6.4 ounce tubes.
Someone correct me if I am mistaken.
Let’s ban all Chinese products...oh wait, most store shelves would be empty.
Colgate has the “Made in” stamped on the end of the tube. The tube I have says “Made in Mexico,” which means I am switching to a different brand.
Sorry, I have to switch that — “Made in Mexico” is printed in tiny type after the Dist. by Colgate Palmolive label on the box. The tube doesn’t state the product’s country of origin.
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