Colgate Cautions Against Fake Toothpaste

Colgate alerted the public today that counterfeit toothpaste bearing its brand name and possibly containing a deadly chemical has turned up in discount stores in four Northeast states. The phony products' packaging is riddled with misspellings and gives the manufacturing location as South Africa, where the company doesn't make toothpaste. Colgate-Palmolive is working with the FDA to find the source.

Today's warning comes less than two weeks after the FDA told consumers to stay away from all toothpaste made in China after discovering tubes containing diethylene glycol, a toxic chemical found in solvents and antifreeze. Tainted products have turned up in Costa Rica, the Dominican Republican, and Panama— where last year lethal cough syrup killed at least 100 people. (More toothpaste stories.)