Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) – China announced yesterday an “inquiry” into the origin of toothpaste containing potentially lethal poison exported to Central America. It also tried to reassure importing countries that Chinese products are safe. However, many buyers want Chinese companies and government agencies to show greater transparency and co-operation.
Chen Yaozu, general manager of Danyang Chengshi Household Chemical Co, said his company had exported to Panama toothpaste containing diethylene glycol, a chemical blamed for the deaths of more than 100 people in that country last year after it was mixed into cough syrup.
Although the information was public knowledge for some time, inspectors showed up at the plant in Danyang (Jiangsu) only last Sunday to shut it down.
Until then the company had denied that its products contained the dangerous ingredient, normally used in anti-freeze and industrial solvents.
On Saturday, 36,000 tainted tubes of the same Chinese toothpaste were found in the Dominican Republic marketed for children with bubble gum flavour and seized in stores across the country.
The Goldcredit International Trading Co. of Wuxi also came under investigation. “Though diethylene glycol is slightly toxic, Hu Keyu, a manager at Goldcredit International, said, “it is not poisonous or deadly and for years has been used at very low levels in Chinese toothpaste.” If it “were poisonous, all Chinese people would have been poisoned.”
Like Goldcredit most toothpaste makers have objected to the charges, saying that they have continued to use diethylene glycol because it was considered a cheap substitute for glycerine and had never been harmful.
The latest incident comes amid growing concerns about mainland food and other products tainted with toxins and fake ingredients.
In a clear reference to attempts by Chinese companies and government agencies to deny that harmful products or products with harmful ingredients made in China were exported, Robert Madelin, the European Commission's director-general for health and consumer protection, said yesterday that the mainland needed to be more candid to sustain confidence in its exports.
Following the recent series of health scares, China’s State Food and Drug Administration said it would take steps to enhance food safety. (PB)