GridStream Productions

FDA: Toothpaste Made In China Unsafe, Throw It Out
Bargain Retail Outlet Brands Especially At Risk For Poisonous Chemical
(AP) WASHINGTON The government warned consumers on Friday to avoid using toothpaste made in China because it may contain a poisonous chemical used in antifreeze.

Out of caution, the Food and Drug Administration said, people should throw away toothpaste with labeling that it was made in China. FDA is concerned that these products may contain diethylene glycol.

The agency is not aware of any reports in the United States of poisoning from toothpaste, but it did find the antifreeze ingredient in a shipment at the U.S. border and at two retail stores: a Dollar Plus store in Miami and a Todo A Peso store in Puerto Rico.

Officials said they are primarily concerned about toothpaste sold at bargain retail outlets. The ingredient in question, called DEG, is used as a lower-cost sweetener and thickening agent. The highest concentration of the chemical found in toothpaste so far was between 3-4 percent, but health officials said it does not belong in toothpaste even in small concentrations.

The FDA increased its scrutiny of toothpaste made in China because of reports of contamination in several countries, including Panama.

The agency is particularly concerned about chronic exposure to DEG in children and in people with kidney or liver disease.

One thing that upsets me about these health warnings, is that they won't tell you which products had been found with the tainted ingrediants. That pet food scare, and this, alerted people to a way of finding out what products may be tainted, but it'd be more effective if they'd additionally go the step further and point out a few products.

I'm sure it's for legal reasons.

Other catch is that nearly all of the US (and many other countries) food supply is composed of highly processed and chemical-injected food. Even most fruits and veggies have stuff sprayed on them that would kill you if you drank it in a shot glass. Extremely low levels of toxic chemicals and poison don't do nothing to your body, it all adds up.. whatever teh FDA says.

[DELETED]

Ah, dont forget about our genetically altered, steroid pumped poultry and cattle!

I've suspected for some years that trace amounts of toxins were in our food. toxic waste is a big problem for an industrial nation. For one thats just emerging into a golden age of technology like China it must be a truely overwhelming problem. Why not put it into pet foods and other products?

But conspiracy theories aside and looking for a more sane explaination my guess is that it's the shipping containers. Some years ago there was a story of refigerated trucks shipping Garbage out of Ny NY they would dump it in the landfill at destination then wash out the truck with a hose and carry food stuffs back to Ny NY.

Footage of a truck being washed out clearly showed the thousands of maggots that were being washed out of the truck. It's likely the Chinese have the same sort of thing going. Toxins going to landfill one way and food going the other way thus creating the contamination since lets faqce it. Hoses aren't going to sterilise anything and it only takes minute amounts of a toxin 2 parts per million for some to have an effect.

I think this all comes down to one thing...

All goverments/companies hide sumthing....

EDIT-

ROFL I half to read when the last post was made, srry im used to fast forums, forgive me....

That pet food scare, and this, alerted people to a way of finding out what products may be tainted, but it'd be more effective if they'd additionally go the step further and point out a few products.

Actually I have first hand knowledge of this because my lab was one of the 3 tapped to do legal necropsies on the animals that died because of this food additive. The reason that you probably didn't hear much about brand names is because the additive was purchased in bulk by *most* canned pet food companies. Lists were made available at various retail shops (Petco and Petsmart here locally), and the lists were pages long, which explains why the media didn't cover every brand name affected. During the time that the affected food was on the shelves, it was very likely that *any* canned cat/dog food you bought could cause kidney failure in your pet, so it was widely publicized that you should stay away from canned food entirely until the lot numbers were removed from the store shelves.

Likewise, if you actually go to the FDA site, you will always find a list of affected products when a recall goes out like this.

http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/toothpaste.html

yay for foxy knowledge