HealthAugust 16, 2007 7:20 am

What is diethylene glycol (DEG)?

    DEG is an industrial solvent used as a dehydrating agent for natural gas, a raw material in plasticizers and polyester resins, a solvent in textile dyeing and printing inks, and a major ingredient in antifreeze.

    DEG is a cheaper substitute for glycerin, a safe ingredient found mostly in drugs, food and household products, and used as a thickening agent in toothpaste.
    DEG can be a deadly poison, if used in large amounts. The chemical caused more than 300 deaths, mostly in Panama, when counterfeiters substituted DEG for glycerin in cough syrups. The source of the poisonings was traced to a manufacturer in China, where DEG was found in toothpaste, as well. China has since banned DEG.


Sources: Healthline.com; The New York Times

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Health 7:10 am

Toothpaste from China contained Diethylene Glycol

Complimentary toothpaste in upscale hotels has joined the growing list of potentially unsafe consumer products imported from China, prompting an Indianapolis supplier to issue a worldwide recall.
The recall, issued in the wake of other high-profile cases, also raises more questions about how U.S. manufacturers can maintain safety and quality standards in Chinese-made goods.
Gilchrist & Soames, a Southeastside company that supplies high-end toiletry products for hotels in more than a dozen countries, said Monday it had begun a voluntary recall of a 0.65-ounce tube made by Ming Fai Enterprises International Co.
Independent tests showed some samples of the toothpaste contained diethylene glycol, or DEG. Among DEG’s uses is as a coolant in automobiles.
"DEG does not belong in toothpaste, and we’ve taken these proactive steps to make sure it stays out," said Kathie De Voe, president of Gilchrist & Soames.

source:www.indystar.com 

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