FDA Issues Colgate Toothpaste Recall

Five-ounce tubes of toothpaste labeled Colgate and sold in discount stores in four states are being recalled because they may contain a poisonous chemical, according to the importer.

A Food and Drug Administration official, Doug Arbesfeld, confirmed that testing had found the chemical in a product with the Colgate label. But he said the agency is unsure if it is really Colgate or a counterfeit.

"We are aware that toothpaste is something that's been counterfeited in the past," he said. "We don't want to alarm people unnecessarily."

There was no immediate reply to an e-mail message left with a Colgate-Palmolive spokesman Wednesday evening.

MS USA Trading, Inc. of North Bergen, N.J., said the toothpaste may contain diethylene glycol, a chemical found in antifreeze.

The company said the toothpaste, imported from South Africa, was sold in discount stores in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland.

The FDA can't quite tell whether the affected toothpaste is counterfeit or not. They're trying to track it down, along with how exactly the chemical entered the manufacturing process. While this incident appears to be involving imports from South Africa, similar concerns exist over imports from China that have been contaminated with the same chemical.

These items keep popping up in low-cost or dollar stores.