China's reply to consumers: "You're not supposed to SWALLOW antifreeze! DUH!!!"

[kurth]

China calls for cooler heads over product safety
REUTERS
4:19 a.m. May 23, 2007

BEIJING – China called for cooler heads to prevail in a widening scandal over the safety of its products on Wednesday, accusing critics of exploiting concerns about specific cases to put barriers in the way of Chinese exports in general.

In the latest incident, the Dominican Republic has banned the sale of two brands of Chinese toothpaste for containing a lethal chemical responsible for dozens of poisoning deaths in Panama last year.

A company under investigation for exporting the toothpaste, Danyang Household Chemical Company, defended its product. 'Toothpaste is not something you'd swallow, but spit out, and so it's totally different from something you would eat,' one company manager, who declined to be identified, said by telephone from the eastern province of Jiangsu...

In the Dominican Republic case, authorities in the Caribbean country confiscated nearly 90,000 tubes of the toothpaste, imported from Panama and sold under the brand names Excel and Mr. Cool, the Dominican health secretary said. Panama itself pulled thousands of tubes of the toothpaste from stores last week after tests showed they contained high levels of diethylene glycol, a toxic chemical used in engine coolants.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/health/20070523-0419-china-health-.html

[Kagemusha]

1. While critics most certainly DO want general barriers to Chinese exports...

That doesn't exonerate China from exporting products that have killed people. Danyang's defense here is really lame too and the Chinese government should be ashamed. I'm just saying, casually reading posts on DU are enough to establish that yes, critics want general Chinese export restrictions - and hardly believe this is something they should be ashamed of. It's just kinda not the point. The critics aren't killing anyone. The antifreeze-tainted toothpaste, is.

[kurth]

2. KIDS' toothpaste too, And it was intentional

that the product was exported only to markets where there was less risk of detection.

[Kagemusha]

3. I'm sure just out of criminal indifference.

If they really thought it'd kill that many people and brought all the associated publicity they probably would've passed. But that would've required giving a damn.