Mouthwash with chemical content that exceeds the allowable limit might do the user more harm than good, the Consumers’ Foundation said yesterday.
Mouth rinses are commonly used to get rid of germs and prevent bad breath.
However, there are concerns about the safety of some products, because there are currently no standards regulating their contents, the foundation said.
Using the standards set for toothpaste, the foundation inspected 15 mouthwashes bought in supermarkets and cosmetic shops and found that six had a pH lower than 5 and one contained enough chlorhexidine gluconate to be labeled as over-the-counter medication.
An oral environment with a pH lower than 5 can easily lead to cavities caused by the overgrowth of acidic bacteria, and the inspection the average pH value of all tested products was about 7, the agency said.
The concentration of three different chemical substances — triclosan, fluoride and chlorhexidine — in mouthwashes was also tested.
Triclosan is commonly found in antibacterial hygiene products, but can cause tumors or hormonal imbalance if used excessively.
Health authorities have set the limit for the concentration of triclosan in toothpastes. at 0.03 percent
The foundation did not find any mouthwashes exceeding this limit.
Fluoride, which is widely used to prevent cavities, can cause damage to teeth and bones if used in large doses. The national standard (for toothpaste) is 1,500 parts per million and all items were found to be within these limits as well, the foundation said.
However, one brand of mouthwash tested had a chlorhexidine gluconate concentration higher than is allowed in a general commercial product.
The foundation warned consumers against using mouthwash for periodontitis prevention, as most mouthwashes on sale contain little or no antibacterial substances.
In addition, swallowing mouthwash with fluoride can be extremely harmful to a person’s health, especially children’s, it said.
A NT$39 receipt for two bottles of tea at a FamilyMart was among the NT$10 million (US $312,969) special prize winners in the January-February uniform invoice lottery. FamilyMart said that two NT$10 million-winning receipts were issued at its stores, as well as two NT$2 million grand prizes and three NT$200,000 first prizes. The two NT$10 million receipts were issued at stores in Pingtung County and Yilan County’s Dongshan Township (冬山). One winner spent just NT$39 on two bottles of tea, while another spent NT$80 on water, tea and coffee, the company said. Meanwhile, 7-Eleven reported three NT$10 million winners — in New Taipei
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the first case of a new COVID-19 subvariant — BA.3.2 — in a 10-year-old Singaporean girl who had a fever upon arrival in Taiwan and tested positive for the disease. The girl left Taiwan on March 20 and the case did not have a direct impact on the local community, it said. The WHO added the BA.3.2 strain to its list of Variants Under Monitoring in December last year, but this was the first imported case of the COVID-19 variant in Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said. The girl arrived in Taiwan on
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are
RSS