Before you even brush your teeth this morning!

Don't touch that Colgate!

Via the Hartford Courant:

Connecticut inspectors have pulled more than 700 tubes of toothpaste off store shelves this week as part of a nationwide crackdown on counterfeit and Chinese-made toothpaste containing a toxic substance commonly used as an ingredient in antifreeze, officials said Friday.

The Connecticut move follows a similar investigation in Massachusetts that led to the seizure of about 160 toothpaste tubes because of concerns over the use of diethylene glycol, a syrupy, sweetener-like chemical that can cause liver and kidney problems. The chemical is used in China in small amounts as a substitute for glycerin, a more expensive sweetener, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last month advised consumers to toss out all Chinese-produced toothpastes.

snip

"We don't want to unduly panic the people of the state of Connecticut," said Francis Greene, the director of the consumer protection department's division of food and standards.

Officials declined Friday to reveal the towns where the toothpaste was confiscated, but that will be revealed next week.

So let's see... We have contaminated toothpaste seized in the state of Connecticut, BUT they won't tell us where? That sure is a great way to calm the public.

Oh yeah... And some of it is counterfeit and some of it is from China:

The contaminated toothpaste comes from China, while the counterfeit brands are made in South Africa. Colgate-Palmolive Co., which has been the subject of the counterfeiting, says the counterfeit brands could also contain diethylene glycol.

What does Colgate say about it?

Colgate Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Reuben Mark, a longtime Greenwich resident, said in a statement that "we will spare no effort to help consumers avoid counterfeits and support regulators in their efforts to remove these products from the marketplace."

That's nice... But what about the fact that some of the toothpaste from China is tainted and isn't counterfeit? Nice spin campaign. Colgate had nothing to say about the Chinese made toothpaste that appears to be the real thing AND tainted?

And the reporter didn't ask for a clarification???

Oh yeah... Before I forget, and before you drive to work this morning:

Nearly 80 Connecticut retailers have sold the defective tires that are now under recall, and they were purchased under the brand names of Compass, Telluride, YKS and Westlake.

Apparently they don't want you to panic about that story at all so it is buried at the bottom of the above pile of crap article.