Victoria Malone, deputy warden for care and treatment at Metro State Prison in Atlanta, Georgia, stands next to a pallet of tainted toothpaste made in China, on July 26. - AP

INDIANAPOLIS (AP):

A chemical that thickens antifreeze has turned up again in a Chinese-made toothpaste, this time under a brand that serves luxury hotels around the world.

Gilchrist & Soames said Monday it is recalling its 0.65-ounce (18-gram) tubes of complementary toothpaste with the company name on it. The company said some samples showed the toothpaste contained diethylene glycol, a chemical that can lead to liver and kidney damage.

It was the latest in a series of recalls of Chinese-made goods - toothpaste, children's toys, tyres and pet food - because of manufacturing methods that many say are shoddy or dangerous.

In June, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned consumers to avoid several brands of toothpaste made in China because the products may contain diethylene glycol.

Chinese manufacturers have used the chemical, known as DEG, as a cheape to glycerin, an ingredient that thickens toothpaste, said Mengshi Lin, a University of Missouri food scientist and former food safety regulator for the Chinese government.

"The two chemicals, actually, are pretty similar," he said. "They are like cousins to each other."

Diethylene glycol, however, can cause kidney and liver damage if someone is exposed to it over time. Low levels of it do not harm humans, Lin said.

Banning DEG

The FDA allows only trace amounts of DEG in toothpaste.The Chinese government announced last month that it was banning DEG from toothpaste, Lin said.

China also is shutting down a chemical plant linked to dozens of deaths in Panama from tainted medicine, and it closed two companies tied to pet deaths in North America.

Indianapolis-based Gilchrist & Soames quarantined its toothpaste made in China in June after the FDA issued its warning.

The company's toothpaste was not mentioned in that alert, but Gilchrist & Soames told its customers to stop offering the Chinese-made toothpaste. It then started testing its supply and found the chemical in toothpaste made by Ming Fai Enterprises International Co.

The toothpaste, which is labelled 'Made in China', was placed in bathrooms or came in dental kits that also contain toothbrushes or dental floss. Gilchrist & Soames President Kathie De Voe declined to say how many tubes were recalled.

"Toothpaste in dental kits in our business is a very small percentage, and then what we're talking about is from one particular supplier," she said.

De Voe declined to identify the hotels or resorts that received the toothpaste, saying the information was confidential. The company's website, which describes Gilchrist & Soames as "the only branded toiletries company dedicated to the luxury hotel market," lists The Greenbrier in West Virginia, Florida's Amelia Island Plantation and London's Plaza on the River as clients.