The Chinese government on Wednesday promised to release the
findings of an investigation into an alleged "contaminated
toothpaste" incident as soon as possible. About 50 tubes of
toothpaste labeled "Excel" and "Mr. Cool" were pulled off the
shelves of a store in Panama City and experts confirmed that 2.5
percent of the toothpaste was made up of the chemical diethylene
glycol.
The government appointed directors from the General
Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine,
State Food and Drug Administration and the General Administration
of Customs to create a taskforce to investigate the incident.
The investigators have begun work in Beijing and east China's Jiangsu Province, through garnering
information from relevant enterprises and personnel, revealed the
General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and
Quarantine.
Last Wednesday the Ministry of Commerce passed swift new
regulations imposing stringent limits on the import and export of
toxin compounds and on their chemical composition.
The regulations state that all products comprised over 40
percent of the chemical compounds toluene, acetone, butanone and
vitriol must undergo testing before receiving a trading license, a
rule that also extends to products containing more than 10 percent
of hydrochloric acid.
Although the Panama's Health Ministry Secretary General
Francisco Sucre refuted that the level of diethylene glycol was
dangerous, the ministry urged against public use of the products.
The ministry warned that diethylene glycol is toxic and should not
be used in dental products. It is also prohibited for use in
cosmetics, foods and pharmaceuticals.
The Panama City store involved in the incident has been closed
and local authorities are seeking to find out how the toothpaste
entered the country.
(Xinhua News Agency May 24, 2007)