Maybe you all have heard about this on the news, but in the event you haven't.
> Counterfeit Colgate Toothpaste Found > Contact: > Allison Klimerman 212-310-3770 > Tom Paolella 212-310-2774 > FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- New York, New York -- June 14, 2007 -- The > Colgate–Palmolive Company today warned that counterfeit toothpaste > falsely packaged as "Colgate" has been found in several dollar-type > discount stores in four states: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, > and Maryland. There are indications that this product does not > contain fluoride and may contain Diethylene Glycol. The Company > stated that it does not use, nor has ever used, Diethylene Glycol > as an ingredient in Colgate toothpaste anywhere in the world. > > The counterfeit toothpaste can be easily recognized because it is > labelled as "Manufactured in South Africa." Colgate does not import > toothpaste into the United States from South Africa. In addition, > the counterfeit packages examined so far have several misspellings > including: "isclinically" "SOUTH AFRLCA" "South African Dental > Assoxiation". > > Counterfeit toothpaste is not manufactured or distributed by > Colgate and has no connection with the Company whatsoever. Colgate > is working closely with the US FDA to help to identify those > responsible for the counterfeit product. > > Consumers who suspect they may have purchased counterfeit product, > can call Colgate’s toll-free number at 1 800 468 6502. > > Taintedtoothpaste found at Md. store > Counterfeit Colgate product contains antifreeze chemical > By Jonathan D. Rockoff > Sun Reporter > Originally published June 15, 2007 > Discount stores in Maryland and three other states sold toothpaste > falsely packaged as Colgate and spiked with a poisonous chemical > used in antifreeze, federal health officials said yesterday. > > The Food and Drug Administration is investigating who laced the > toothpaste with diethylene glycol, which FDA inspectors first > discovered last week in a tube on the shelf of a Silver Spring > discount store. > > The Colgate-Palmolive Co. warned consumers to beware of > counterfeits and is helping recall the tainted products. > Although federal health officials emphasized that the risk to > consumers was low, the episode deepened concerns about a food > safety system reeling from contamination of fresh produce, peanut > butter and pet food. > > "Counterfeiting of foods is certainly an issue that needs > attention, especially with concerns regarding intentional > contaminants," said Michael Doyle, director of the University of > Georgia's Center for Food Safety. He said counterfeits of infant > formula have previously been an issue. Mislabeled and adulterated > wheat gluten was the pet food problem. > > The Dollar Power store in Silver Spring sold 22 tubes of toothpaste > that might have been contaminated, its owner said. Neither federal > nor state health authorities have received any reports of illness. > > Diethylene glycol emerged as a threat after its discovery last > September in Chinese-made cough syrup that killed more than 50 > people in Panama. Public health officials in the United States and > other countries have been on the hunt for the chemical since it was > found in toothpaste in Panama and traced back to China last month. > > After finding tainted shipments at discount stores in the United > States, the FDA said on June 1 that it was blocking all imports of > toothpaste from China, and it advised consumers to avoid using > Chinese-made toothpaste. > > "The health hazard is low because toothpaste is not meant to be > ingested, but regardless, this stuff is not supposed to be in > toothpaste," said Doug Arbesfeld, an FDA spokesman. The agency is > especially concerned about children or adults with kidney or liver > disease swallowing tainted toothpaste. > > The latest discovery adds to the alarm because it was found in > tubes of toothpaste sold as "Colgate" and labeled as "Manufactured > in South Africa." > > Colgate said it doesn't import toothpaste from South Africa, has > never used diethylene glycol as an ingredient and did not make the > recalled products. It said the counterfeits contained several > misspellings, such as "isclinically", "SOUTH AFRLCA" and "South > African Dental Assoxiation." > > Allison Klimerman, a Colgate spokeswoman, said the company is > working with the FDA and Customs officials to recall the > contaminated products. > > The FDA made the latest finding as part of its stepped-up search > for diethylene glycol, Arbesfeld said. An agency inspector visiting > the Dollar Power store in Silver Spring on June 7 discovered the > chemical in a 100-milliliter tube, said Lampert Ham, the store's > owner. > > Ham said he promptly destroyed the 122 tubes of toothpaste from the > shipment that his store had not yet sold. Ham said he had not heard > any complaints from customers. He said he had been buying > toothpaste from the distributor, MS USA Trading, for two years > without any problems. > > MS USA Trading, of North Bergen, N.J., imported the toothpaste and > distributed it to discount stores in Maryland, New York, New Jersey > and Pennsylvania, according to Colgate. The New Jersey company, > which was not answering its phone yesterday, is helping with the > recall, Colgate said. > > Levels of diethylene glycol in the recalled toothpaste tubes ranged > from 1 percent to 4 percent of the total weight, Arbesfeld said. In > the past, counterfeiters have used diethylene glycol instead of a > more expensive ingredient, glycerin, to thicken toothpaste. > > State health authorities in Maryland said they had received no > information about whether or where the contaminated toothpaste was > being sold in Maryland. > > "We haven't received any kind of official information from the FDA > or been asked to do anything by the FDA," said John Hammond, a > spokesman for the state Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. > > Dr. Joshua M. Sharfstein, the Baltimore City health commissioner, > said his department is looking for suspect products. > Sun reporter Frank Roylance contributed to this article. > [EMAIL PROTECTED] <http://www.baltimoresun.com/about/bal- > reporterfeedback,0,4526743.htmlstory? > [EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > > > > > > > ------ End of Forwarded Message To listen to the show archives go to link http://acbradio.org/handyman.html or ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/ The Pod Cast address for the Blind Handy Man Show is. http://www.acbradio.org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday The Pod Cast address for the Cooking In The Dark Show is. http://www.gcast.com/u/cookingindark/main.xml Visit The Blind Handy Man Files Page To Review Contributions From Various List Members At The Following address: http://www.jaws-users.com/handyman/ Visit the archives page at the following address http://www.mail-archive.com/blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com/ For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind Handy Man list just send a blank message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! 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