Toothpaste imports from China declined in 2007

Washington鈥?Toothpaste imports from China fell sharply last year, the Congressional Research Service said in a report to Congress. In May 2007, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued warnings on certain toothpaste products found to originate in China that contained poisonous chemicals. Some were found to be counterfeit (ADA News Today June 21, 2007, Toothpaste alerts issued).

China in 2006 was the sixth largest foreign supplier of imported toothpaste valued at $3.3 million, said the Jan. 24 report, Health and Safety Concerns Over U.S. Imports of Chinese Products: An Overview. During the first nine months of 2007, toothpaste imports from China declined by 54 percent over a comparable period in 2006. The report notes congressional interest in tighter scrutiny of imported Chinese products as well as joint agreements and initiatives by Chinese authorities to address health and safety concerns.

World Trade Organization rules allow countries to impose restrictions on imports for health and safety reasons as long as they are based on science but forbid measures deemed to be discriminatory or protectionist in nature, said the CRS. 聽