Neem Active toothpaste tested in New Zealand for bacteria, toxic chemical

8 September, 2007:

New Zealand’s Ministry of Health is testing Neem Active toothpaste, made in India, which has been banned in Canada, where authorities said it contained harmful bacteria and a toxic chemical.

Canadian authorities had issued health warnings about the Neem-brand product manufactured by Henkel India, saying it had the antifreeze ingredient diethylene glycol (DEG) as well as high levels of bacteria.

New Zealand’s health officials had in the last week of August 2007 named 16 brands of China-made toothpaste, which they said contained the toxic chemical.

The Neem toothpaste was reportedly being sold in a number of supermarkets in New Zealand.

A spokesman of New Zealand’s Ministry of Health said the authorities were still looking for Neem Active Toothpaste with calcium.

According to the Ministry, tests would be carried out on the toothpaste in question to ensure that it met New Zealand’s health standards.

Canadian authorities have already issued health warnings on Neem Active toothpaste and banned the product from being sold in the country.

Canada’s health authorities had said that the potential adverse effects of ingesting products that contained unacceptable levels of harmful bacteria included fever, urinary-tract infection, and gastrointestinal symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. Infants, children and vulnerable populations such as patients hospitalized for severe underlying diseases or with compromised immune systems were more sensitive to these effects.

Diethylene glycol (DEG), used as a solvent as well as in antifreeze, may cause nausea, abdominal pain, dizziness, urinary problems, kidney failure,
breathing problems, lethargy, convulsions, coma, and even death when ingested.

Neem Active Toothpaste with Calcium has been found in several stores in Western and Atlantic Canada.

Meanwhile, Henkel India, the Indian company that manufactures Neem Active Toothpaste, has said the toothpaste is completely safe and does not
contain the poisonous DEG.

A Satish Kumar, the company’s managing director, said: “DEG is not used to manufacture Neem Active toothpaste and the product does not contain DEG, either. Therefore, it is safe for use.”

He continued: “After the Canadian allegations, we tested toothpaste samples for bacteria and DEG from batches manufactured over the past two years and found them safe. The test results have made it clear that there is no DEG or harmful bacteria in the product.”

A statement from Henkel India said the company has asked Canadian authorities for details like batch numbers and year of manufacture of the samples tested and the methodology used to arrive at the results.