CATEGORY:HEALTH ---------------------- INSIDE GRENADA TUESDAY July 10,2007 by Wallace J.A GRENADA: The Grenada Bureau of Standards (GBS) has advised consumers to exercise caution when purchasing tubes of Colgate toothpaste, since some of the items might be counterfeit. The Canadian Health Authorities have found that these counterfeit tubes of toothpaste contain harmful bacteria and poses serious health risks. The fake toothpaste is believed to contain a type of bacteria from the Enterobacteriaceace family, which can cause fever and gastrointestinal symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pain. According to information released by the Health Canadian News, the counterfeit Colgate toothpaste containing the bacteria is marked “Colgate Fluoride Toothpaste Herbal and Colgate Fluoride Toothpaste Maximum Cavity Protection, 100 ml. The Maximum Cavity Protection brand is labelled “Manufactured in South Africa with several mis-spellings, such as: ‘isclinically’, ‘SOUTH AFRLCA’ and ‘Dental Assoxiation’. The Grenada Bureau of Standards is also advising Consumers to avoid using toothpaste labelled only in Chinese that are appearing in local discount stores. The labelling does not confirm to national standards and the Bureau can not determine whether such toothpaste contained the banned toxic chemical diethylene glycol that has been found in Chinese toothpaste in the USA. China, the world's biggest exporter of consumer products, is under pressure to strengthen regulation after a series of scares ranging from contaminated toothpaste to drug-tainted seafood. According to a Dune Lawrence article appearing in Bloomberg.com dated July 10, 2007 toothpaste and drugs linked to Chinese producers have been blamed for deaths in Latin America. United States authorities halted imports of some Chinese fish, and Toys ``R'' Us Asia Ltd. recalled lead-painted ``Thomas & Friends'' railway toys made in China. Melamine, used to make plastics, was found in pet food blamed for killing cats and dogs in the U.S. earlier this year. Only this morning, the state-run Xinhau News Agency in China reported that Zheng Xiaoyu (63 yrs.), former chief drug regulator in China, was executed. Zheng was given the death sentence after he was found guilty of accepting bribes and gifts worth more than 6.5 million yuan ($850,000) while he was head of the food and drug administration from 1998 to 2005. The regulatory agency approved six types of fake medicines during his tenure, Xinhua said. Zheng's acts ``undermined the efficiency of China's drug monitoring and supervision, endangered public life and health and has had a very negative social impact,'' the agency cited the Supreme People's Court as saying. According to Xinhau News, Chinese officials have now outlined a plan geared towards improving drug and food safety.