FDA Bans Import and Sales of Toothpaste Made in China

[bbsadmin]

In case you don't know about this story, I want to inform you about it.

A few months ago, it came to the FDA's attention that some cough syrups made in China were getting people sick -- not here in the US, but in Argentina and some developing countries. Turns out, the glycerine syrup in the cough medicines was not real glycerine at all, but a dangerous chemical called diethylene glycol (DEG). This chemical is poisonous and is found in antifreeze and other products not fit for human consumption. It caused deaths worldwide.

Fortunately, there have been no incidents with cough syrup or medicines in the USA.

But glycerine is an ingredient in many other products, including toothpaste.

Now the FDA has banned all sales and imports of toothpaste made in China. Here is a link to the FDA page on this topic:

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

To further confuse matters, the FDA found "counterfeit" tubes of "Colgate" toothpaste in discount stores across the nation. It was supposedly made in South Africa but was really made in China. It contains no DEG, but it was pulled from the shelves anyway.

In addition to telling you about this problem, as an online retailer I want to tell you what I have been doing. I have been contacting all my suppliers to find out the origins of any products I sell that may be "ingested" by people, such as toothpaste, breath strips, pre-pasted toothbrushes, etc.

I am happy to report that all the products I sell at DentaKit.com are safe and genuine. The Colgate toothpaste is genuine, made in the Colgate factory in Canada. The Fresh-n-Go product is made in Israel and is certified pure. The ReadyBrush products are made entirely in the USA. The basic pre-pasted toothbrushes are made in China, but my supplier had them tested in a lab and told me that they are free of DEG; they contain real glycerine. The Dr. Ken's breath strips are made in China, but the vegetable glycerine they contain is real and is made in the USA. Dr. Ken's assures me that they are safe.

It is unclear whether other dental products containing glycerine will be banned by the FDA in the future.

I want everyone to feel secure in buying from my website, because my suppliers (and in some cases, the manufacturers themselves) have assured me of the safety and purity of their products.

I will let you guys know of any updates to this situation as it develops. The FDA says that it does not know when the Chinese toothpaste ban will be lifted.

[artmomz]

I had heard about this, but I had never considered how it could impact some the posters here. Thanks for the post...