Bogus Imports Cheap But Risky
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Discount stores that scour the world for deals sometimes give shoppers something they didn't bargain for: bogus products of uncertain origin that may even be dangerous.
A prime example: last week's recall of toothpaste believed to be both counterfeit and toxic.
Government tests on the toothpaste, bought by federal investigators at a discount store in Maryland, revealed it contained diethylene glycol, a chemical found in antifreeze, a Food and Drug Administration spokesman said Thursday. Although the toothpaste was labeled as "Colgate," Colgate-Palmolive Co. said the imported 5-ounce tubes were falsely packaged counterfeits.
Foes of counterfeiting said it was an example of how it's more than CDs, DVDs, handbags and sunglasses that are getting faked these days.
"This has really become an issue where every industry is affected," said Caroline Joiner, executive director of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's anti-counterfeiting and piracy initiative. The chamber unveiled a lobbying effort Thursday to step up federal efforts in combating a problem it estimates costs U.S. companies $250 billion a year in lost sales.
Lately, counterfeit drugs have repeatedly made headlines, even though the FDA concedes they are quite rare in the U.S. drug distribution system. Worries about fake drugs recently helped sink legislation in the Senate that would have permitted importation of prescription drugs. When fake drugs do crop up, it's typically after they've been purchased over the Internet.
In May, the FDA relayed reports from three consumers who had purchased bogus Xenical, a weight-loss drug, from a pair of Web sites.
Meanwhile, the galaxy of counterfeits continues to expand to include an ever-broader range of consumer products.
"It's to a point where we see fake auto parts - fake brake pads. We see toothpaste tainted with antifreeze and Underwriters Laboratories tags on electric cords that are fake and catch on fire," Joiner said.
In 2006, U.S. agents increased seizures of counterfeit goods by 83 percent, making more than 14,000 seizures worth at least $155 million, the Homeland Security Department said earlier this year.
Even though many bogus goods, including the toothpaste, have murky origins, signs point to overseas - and China in particular. That country was the source of 81 percent of all phony goods seized in 2006, according to federal statistics.
The recalled toothpaste was labeled as made in South Africa but its toxic ingredient previously has been found in Chinese-made toothpastes. Colgate-Palmolive pointed out the packages it had examined bore several misspellings, including "SOUTH AFRLCA." That suggests even the bogus product's true origin may have been faked.
Its distributor could do little to explain the ultimate source of the toothpaste, which it sold at 60 cents to 70 cents a tube to discount stores in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland.
"We do not make it, we don't import it, we just buy it from a guy," said Chris Kim, manager of MS USA Trading Inc., the North Bergen, N.J., company that recalled the 100 cases of suspect toothpaste.
Discount stores in particular can be an important outlet not only for fakes but other dangerous goods as well, federal officials said.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission, for example, has announced well more than a dozen recalls of children's jewelry this year because they contain lead, which is toxic if ingested. The Chinese-made jewelry is predominantly sold through discount outlets, CPSC spokesman Scott Wolfson said.
Overall, federal regulators are stepping up their scrutiny of Chinese-made goods. Wolfson said products made in China account for more than 60 percent of the recalls the CSPC has announced so far this year.
And FDA investigators have been stopping Chinese toothpaste imports at the border and scouring the shelves of discount stores where it's typically sold, after receiving reports from abroad that it can contain diethylene glycol. The South African "Colgate" got caught in that dragnet, FDA spokesman Doug Arbesfeld said.
Subsequent FDA testing showed the South African-labeled toothpaste contained 3 percent diethylene glycol by weight. The chemical, used as a lower-cost substitute for the sweetener glycerin, previously has been found in Chinese-made toothpaste also sold in discount stores.
"It's a low health risk but the bottom line is, it doesn't belong in toothpaste," Arbesfeld said of the chemical.