Families warned over fake toothpaste

FAMILIES have been warned to look out for counterfeit toothpaste laced with deadly antifreeze after several tubes were discovered in a discount store in Co Mayo.

Ireland was the latest country to be hit with the potentially poisonous toothpaste, manufactured in China and sold under some well-known brand names.

Some of the products have been specifically marketed for children.

The product could be highly dangerous and, reportedly, potentially fatal if swallowed by children or people with kidney or liver diseases.

The authorities are advising the public to dispose of any suspect products and also any toothbrushes used.

Most of the tubes of poisonous toothpaste in Europe, Japan and North America were found on sale in discount shops but, in Spain, were found in toilet bags given to hospital patients.

Authorities have also warned samples given out in hotels and to passengers on long-haul flights could also contain the contaminated paste.

The Chinese manufacturers use diethylene glycol (DGE), a substance used in antifreeze and as a solvent, to replace the usual glycerine in toothpaste.

The tube markings are frequently identical to the real thing but EU officials say consumers should look out for slight discrepancies such as incorrect spellings on the product.

Occasionally, the toothpaste states ‘Made in China’ but frequently it reports to be manufactured elsewhere, such as South Africa.

The tubes found in a discount store in Co Mayo were packaged and labelled as Sensodyne with both Arabic and English text. GlaxoSmithKline, which markets Sensodyne in Ireland, said its packs are labelled in English only.

The counterfeit product has the incorrect coding and expiry date: PROD 07 2005 /EXP 08 2008.

The Irish Medicines Board and the Environmental Health Officers of the Health Service Executive say they are keeping the matter under review.