China, Diethylene Glycol and Your Safety

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China, Diethylene Glycol and Your Safety

The general media has reported on tainted toothpaste from China, and the

FDA has made a show of banning imports, but the REAL story is NOT being

told. Read on.

Chinese manufacturers routinely substitute diethylene glycol for

glycerin in toothpaste sold domestically, and claim that it isn't

particularly harmful. China is responsible for 50% of the glycerin

imported into the United States, and the FDA has not banned the import

of raw glycerin and is still doing only routine spot checks on this

chemical.

Glycerin is used as a thickener and moisturizer in thousands of

products, from deodorant to toothpaste, and even in some candies. Much

of this glycerin comes from China, and there is no guarantee to the

consumer that it is actually pure, and every reason to be concerned,

based on the fact that the chemical industry in China has shown to be

" regulated " by corrupt institutions, when it is regulated at all.

Diethylene glycol causes nerve damage and other health issues, and is a

known carcinogen. It is also readily absorbed through the skin. This is

why anti-freeze containers carry such serious warning labels.

However, a consumer can use products that contain the substance without

feeling any symptoms, which is why all the stories about people being

killed by adulterated cough syrup and toothpaste are so dangerously

misleading. A product that contains glycerin that is really 10%

diethylene glycol will not suffer any noticeable effects in the short

term. But continued exposure may well lead to serious health effects,

such as cancer.

The FDA must test not only products manufactured in China, but also

glycerin that is being imported for use here. Even better, there should

be legislation requiring processors to indicate the origin of

ingredients on their labels.

Meanwhile we have been researching the matter and discovered that

Procter and Gamble uses domestic sources for its glycerin. Colgate uses

glycerin from the US and Canada, but has not said whether or not the

Canadian product is, in turn, purchased from China. Toms of Maine states

on its website that it uses only domestically sourced Glycerin.

& uses some glycerin from China.

Generally, store brands and cheaper brands of all products use

ingredients from China. Organic products shouldn't, because no Chinese

ingredients are certified organic.

This week, China announced that the former head of its version of the

FDA has been sentenced to death for corruption. There is presently a

crackdown on the sale of adulterated and counterfeit substances in

China. But it must not be assumed that the Chinese government is capable

of policing the gigantic export products industry, and consumers should

continue to do what they can to avoid any and all products that may

contain chemicals or foodstuffs that originate in China.

Below is a link to the US FDA's ongoing list of foodstuffs that have

been banned, and you will find China always at the top of the list. But

remember, this only scratches the surface, and it does not tell which US

companies, and what brands, the products were destined for.

You can read the FDA list here. It is updated monthly:

http://www.fda.gov/ora/oasis/ora_ref_prod.html