If you purchase Colgate toothpaste in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, or Maryland, take a good look at the packaging first. In some discount stores, counterfeit products are showing up. These fake products are said to contain a poisonous chemical. It should be fairly easy to tell whether the product is legitimate.
The fakes include misspellings on the packaging, raising a red flag for any observant consumer. The fake products also say they are made in South Africa.
If you want to avoid the problem entirely, consider a store-brand product or another brand like Crest.
The chemical included in the fake products, diethylene glycol, has been associated with fatalities. It’s commonly used in antifreeze.
Published or updated June 14, 2007. If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to the RSS feed or receive daily emails. Follow @flexo on Twitter and visit our Facebook page for more updates.
Rank: Platinum
Luke Landes founded Consumerism Commentary in 2003 and has been building online communities since 1990. Luke, also known as Flexo, has contributed to PC World Magazine, US News, Forbes, and other publications. 
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
I always knew brushing your teeth could be bad for you, but they didn’t believe me!
I kinda feel bad for Colgate since somebody is counterfeiting their product and making them look bad.