Spain withdraws contaminated toothpaste of Chinese origin
The European Commission today confirmed reception of a formal notification from the Spanish relating to a decision to withdraw from the Spanish market two brands of toothpaste of Chinese origin because of a risk to public health. The formal notification is part of the EU wide Rapid Alert System for non-food dangerous products (RAPEX), that alerts and co-ordinates an EU wide response to dangerous consumer goods found in the Single Market. The notification relates to two brands of toothpaste: Spearmint and Trileaf Spearmint.
Spanish laboratory tests have detected the presence of DEG (diethylene glycol) a substance used in antifreeze and as a solvent. The measures adopted are compulsory – a withdrawal from the Spanish Market. The notification has been entered into the Commission’s RAPEX system today, alerting other Member States to the hazard. Once a formal “notification” is made by a Member State, there is a legal obligation for other Member States to take follow up actions on their market and to inform the Commission about the measures taken.
Image: Hong Kong’s Chinky brand is not one of those pulled, but all Chinese products face scrutiny in wake of new health concernsSpeaking today following the alert, EU Consumer Commissioner Meglena Kuneva, said, “It is important to underline that, according to available evidence, the products found pose only a moderate immediate risk for the health and safety of consumers. To date, there are no known reports of human poisonings or adverse clinical effects caused by this toothpaste. However, even this is an unacceptable risk. Also, in the light of the global scale of the issue, we are working closely with national authorities to address any potential risk seriously and in depth. The Commission urges consumers to not buy counterfeit products and to contact authorities in case of doubts. The EU RAPEX alert system has demonstrated its value in this case and has paved the way for a rapid EU-wide safety response prompted by the vigilance of the Spanish authorities”.
Background
On 29 May the European Commission had warned the authorities of the 30 European countries participating in the RAPEX rapid alert system on non-food dangerous products of the presence of diethylene glycol (DEG) – a substance used in antifreeze and as a solvent – replacing glycerine in toothpaste found in a number of Central American countries. The exchange of information worked well and the Spanish authorities immediately informed the Commission on 5 July of the presence of DEG in samples of toothpaste of Chinese origin found in Spain. These concerned samples of toothpaste included in toilet bags given to patients in hospitals, and possibly clients in hotels and passengers on airplanes.
The Commission immediately informed the authorities in the Member States of this, again asking them to report any developments on this issue in their territory.
The Spanish Agency for medicines and health products (AEMPS) has clarified that the health risk posed by the presence of DEG in the toothpaste found in Spain is minimal, since the product is toxic only if ingested – usually not the case with toothpaste. The most likely danger would be from children or individuals with kidney or liver disease ingesting significant amounts of toothpaste.