Toxic toothpaste found in GA prisons
June 25, 2007 at 12:44 pm by Alyssa Abkowitz in NewsOn June 11, Georgia prison guards abruptly confiscated all tubes of Nature Mint toothpaste after they learned it had tested positive for an ingredient that has been found in antifreeze.
The state Department of Corrections distributes the 1.5-ounce tubes of toothpaste – which say, “made in China” on the back – to inmates for free.
Jim Scott, who visits his friend Neva Veitch at Metro State Prison each week, says Veitch recently told him the gritty toothpaste had made her tongue burn.
“Then a few days later she said they came around to all the women’s lockers and got all their toothpaste samples,” Scott says. “But they wouldn’t explain why.”
DOC spokeswoman Mallie McCord said no inmates got sick from using the toothpaste.
“[The Department of Administrative Services] notified us that they tested toothpaste from China to see if it contained diethylene glycol, which may cause serious illness or death if ingested in large quantities. The test showed that it indeed had the chemical in it. All of our facilities confiscated the toothpaste on that day,” she wrote in an e-mail.
The toothpaste, according to the tube Scott obtained, is distributed by the Bob Barker company – the same detention facilities distributor that ships supplies to Guantanamo Bay.
McCord said the DOC purchased 2,000 cases of another toothpaste to temporarily fill the toothpaste void while they look for a new brand.
Looks like prisoners shouldn’t worry about dropping the soap – but brushing their teeth.
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