Check the spelling on toothpaste - dentist

Molefe was speaking in the wake of the warning by the Ministry of Health early this week, advising customers to avoid toothpastes made in China because they contain Diethylene Glycol (DEG), a harmful chemical.

DEG is said to be used in anti-freeze and as a solvent and is not recommended for use in food and drugs. The chemical has apparently contributed to mass poisonings in different parts of the world. Molefe said one should scrutinise and make sure the toothpaste he or she is buying is not a counterfeit by also looking at the spelling used on the product. He stated that DEG 'depresses the central nervous system and also has an effect on kidneys and liver'. He believes that those using DEG as an ingredient in the toothpaste most likely want their final product to be much cheaper. He suspected that by using such an ingredient, they were reducing on costs.

Trade and Consumer Affairs acting director John Matsheng said under the Consumer Protection Act, they want to ensure a product is safe, has a certain quality and specification. He explained that they take a product to experts to establish whether it is safe for human consumption and if not, it is withdrawn. Matsheng said that the law empowers them to act and that they would continue to assist the Ministry of Health.

He, however,said that they had no testing facilities and that they take products to laboratories outside the country. He said they would like to have an independent and well-resourced Consumer Protection Office that could effectively address such issues.

When contacted, the Botswana Bureau of Standards (BOBS) said they do not randomly check the quality of toothpaste and toiletry imports.

Deputy managing director Masego Marobela said there is no regulation nor is there enforcement of adherence to standard unless directed by a procurer, through specific procurement procedures and processes. The standard is available to those who wish to use it either as a guide to determining what quality to buy or supply at a minimum.

Marobela said standards are declared voluntarily and that their applications are determined by the market in which they are implemented, adding that only in certain circumstances are standards declared compulsory and that compulsory standards may be declared for health, safety and consumer protection reasons. 'Where standards are declared compulsory, BOBS is then empowered by the Standards Acts to enforce them,' the deputy managing director said.

According to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), counterfeit (Chinese) packages examined have several misspellings including 'isclinically', 'South Afrlca', 'South African Dental Assoxiation.' In a release issued last year, FDA warned that counterfeit toothpaste falsely packaged as 'Colgate,' was found in several discount stores.