Spain withdraws contaminated Chinese toothpaste

By IANS

Brussels : The European Commission has confirmed that Spanish authorities are withdrawing two brands of toothpaste of Chinese origin from the Spanish market because of a risk to public health.


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The two Chinese brands are Spearmint and Trileaf Spearmint. Spanish laboratory tests have detected the presence of DEG (diethylene glycol) – a substance used in antifreeze and as a solvent – in them, reported news agency INEPNEXT.

The European Union's executive body Tuesday said it was alerting other EU member states to the hazard.

Once a formal "notification" is made by one EU country, there is a legal obligation for other EU member states to take follow-up actions on their markets.

The issue became prominent in late May, when Chinese toothpaste containing DEG was found in Panama, the Dominican Republic and subsequently in other American countries.

Reportedly, a Chinese chemical maker had sold the industrial-grade chemical as glycerine, which is often used as a moistener or sweetener in products like toothpastes, soaps and cosmetics.

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