We missed this AP article from June 28th but poison toothpaste isn’t just for dollar stores anymore, turns out Georgia prisons and mental hospitals bought hundreds of thousands of the tubes and distributed it to their wards.
diethylene glycol
700 Tubes Of Poison Toothpaste Seized
By 7.11.07
Over 700 tubes of poisonous counterfeit toothpaste were seized in Connecticut, according to The New York Times. The toothpaste is flavored with diethylene glycol, a sweet-tasting chemical more commonly found in anti-freeze. It can cause liver and kidney damage if swallowed.
Chinese Poison Train Defeats FDA, The Prequel
By 6.17.07
Ten years ago, the FDA tried and failed to identify the driver of the deadly Chinese Poison Train. The investigation started when diethylene glycol produced by a state-owned company was mixed into fever medicine, killing 88 Haitian children.
The F.D.A.’s efforts to investigate the Haiti poisonings, documented in internal F.D.A. memorandums obtained by The New York Times, demonstrate not only the intransigence of Chinese officials, but also the same regulatory failings that allowed a virtually identical poisoning to occur 10 years later. The cases further illustrate what happens when nations fail to police the global pipeline of pharmaceutical ingredients.
The Chinese Poison Train hides behind a veil of secrecy and lies, after the jump…
China: Consuming Low Levels Of Poison "Not Harmful"
By 6.3.07
China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine thinks the FDA overreacted by advising consumers to discard all toothpaste made in China:
So far we have not received any report of death resulting from using the toothpaste. The U.S. handling (of this case) is neither scientific nor responsible.
The FDA issued its warning after seizing several shipments of Chinese toothpaste containing diethylene glycol, a poison used in paint and antifreeze. 100 Panamanians died last year after consuming cough syrup made with diethylene glycol. According to Chinese logic, poison in toothpaste isn’t as deadly as poison in cough syrup. Besides, wasn’t it Confucius who said: “That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” Either him or Nietzsche. We always confuse those two. — CAREY GREENBERG-BERGER
Today's Helpful Tip From The FDA: Throw Out Poisonous Chinese Toothpaste
By 6.2.07
Remember how the FDA said there was “no evidence” that Chinese toothpaste tainted with diethylene glycol had made it to the U.S.? That was wrong.
FDA To Test All Chinese Toothpaste
By 5.24.07
The FDA will test all toothpaste made in China. It was discovered last week that some Chinese manufacturers had been substituting a more costly sugar flavoring with a cheaper, and deadly one, one that is also used in antifreeze. The toothpaste was discovered and sold in Panama.
Chinese Poison Train Declared Unstoppable: Next Stop, You!
By 5.21.07
Poison toothpaste, killer cough-syrup, and tainted pet food are the tip of the disgusting iceberg of yuck heading our way from China. Over the past four months, the FDA has rejected 298 shipments from China that included “filthy” fruits, cancer-causing shrimp, and “poisonous” swordfish.
Chinese Poison Train Rolls On: Next Stop, Panamanian Toothpaste
By 5.20.07
6,000 tubes of toothpaste in Panama have been found to contain diethylene glycol, a poison used in solvents and antifreeze. The poison appears to have originated in China.
Counterfeit Cough Medicine Traced To Chinese Factory
By 5.7.07
A Chinese factory was the source of a fake chemical used in medicines that killled at least 100 patients, mainly children, after it was used to make cough medicine, NYT reports in an excellent 7-page investigation.
