Tubes of toothpaste sold in discount stores in four US states and labeled Colgate -- and described as counterfeit by Colgate -- are being recalled because they may contain a poisonous chemical, the importer of the tubes said.
A Food and Drug Administration official, Doug Arbesfeld, confirmed on Wednesday that testing had found the chemical in a product with the Colgate label. But he said the agency is unsure if it is really Colgate or a counterfeit.
"We are aware that toothpaste is something that's been counterfeited in the past," he said. "We don't want to alarm people unnecessarily."
PHOTO: AP
MS USA Trading, Inc of North Bergen, New Jersey, said the toothpaste may contain diethylene glycol, a chemical found in antifreeze.
The company said the toothpaste, imported from South Africa, was sold in discount stores in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland.
"Made in South Africa" is printed on the box and the batch includes Regular, Gel, Triple and Herbal versions.
The trading company said the problem was discovered in routine testing by the Food and Drug Administration. It said no illnesses have been reported to date.
The same chemical has led to the recall of several brands of toothpaste imported from China in recent weeks.
Colgate-Palmolive issued a statement yesterday saying the tubes are counterfeit.
The company said it does not use, nor has ever used, diethylene glycol as an ingredient in Colgate toothpaste anywhere in the world.
"Colgate does not import toothpaste into the US from South Africa," said the statement.
Meanwhile, New Zealand health officials warned consumers yesterday not to use toothpastes imported from China because they may contain toxins, the latest country to issue a warning over the products.
Health Ministry spokesman Mike Flyger said one of the imported toothpaste brands available in shops, Excel, contained diethylene glycol, and there may be other brands also containing the toxic chemical.
The importation of the toothpaste was illegal as it had not been approved by the government's product safety agency, Medsafe, and contained ingredients that may be harmful, Flyger said.
Director General of Health Stephen McKernan said the Excel brand was being sold in the South Island's Just $2 chain of stores. Just $2 managing director David Ellis said 6,000 tubes of the toothpaste had been sold over the past two years.
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