From the Editor - Prison Legal News

Tainted Chinese Toothpaste Distributed in U.S. Prisons and Hospitals
On June 1, 2007, the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) issued
a warning that toothpaste made in
China was found to be contaminated with
diethylene glycol (DEG), a toxic chemical
used in antifreeze and as a solvent. The
FDA urged consumers to “avoid using
toothpaste labeled as made in China,” and
suggested that consumers throw away all
such toothpaste.
China has a history of using DEG
as a cheaper substitute for glycerin, a
common and harmless ingredient in
household products, drugs and cosmetics.
According to the FDA, DEG has a “low
but meaningful risk of toxicity and injury”
to children and people suffering from liver
or kidney disease.
Chinese regulators claimed that
toothpaste with small amounts of DEG
was harmless and said the international
concern was unjustified. They pointed to
a Chinese study that concluded toothpaste
with less than 15.6 percent DEG was not
dangerous to humans.
“This stuff doesn’t belong in toothpaste,
period,” countered FDA spokesman
Doug Arbesfeld. “No Chinese toothpaste
has come into the country since the end
of May.”
Initially the distribution of the tainted
Chinese toothpaste was thought to be limited
to discount stores; however, around
900,000 tubes have turned up in prisons and
hospitals, including mental health facilities.
Two Chinese firms, Goldcredit International
Trading and the Suzhou Qingxin
Daily Chemical Company, made the tainted
toothpaste which was sold under various
brand names. DEG has been identified in
the SpringFresh, Pacific, Amerfresh and
EverFresh brands distributed by American
Amenities, Amercare Products, Pacific Care
Products and McKesson. Other brand
names include Cooldent, Clean Rite, Oralmax
Extreme, Oral Bright, Bright Max and
ShiR Fresh Mint.
The toxic Chinese toothpaste was first
discovered by the government of Panama
in May 2007. Thereafter, governments in
Latin America, West Africa and Japan
seized shipments of the toothpaste. In
June 2007, Japanese government tests
on travel-sized tubes of Chinese-made
toothpaste revealed 6.2 percent DEG
contamination. McKesson then had an
independent laboratory test its toothpaste;
April 2008
by Matt Clarke
after discovering DEG contamination,
the company contacted its customers to
inform them of the problem.
Many state institutions bought the
cheap 1.5 oz. tubes of toothpaste for
around 9 cents each. The largest customer
was Georgia, which purchased 5,877 cases
and distributed them to adult prisons,
mental health facilities and juvenile prisons.
State institutions in North Carolina,
South Carolina and Florida, including hospitals
and prisons, also received the tainted
toothpaste. On August 30, 2007 and again
on October 5, 2007, this PLN reporter
was issued Chinese-made “SpringFresh”
toothpaste at the Texas prison system’s
John Sealy Hospital in Galveston, Texas
– indicating that, contrary to reports in
the mainstream press that distribution of
the toxic toothpaste was stopped in June
2007, the toothpaste is still being handed
out in some state facilities.
40
The North Carolina Department of
Corrections estimated it had bought 22,000
tubes of “Pacific” brand toothpaste. They
were pulled from circulation. On June 12,
2007, Georgia officials confiscated 846,288
tubes of toothpaste that had been purchased
in 2002. The Spokane County Jail
in Washington state pulled its Chinese-made
toothpaste seven weeks after the FDA warning
was issued. “As soon as I became aware
of it, we stopped it,” said jail Captain Jerry
Brady. There were no reported illnesses.
Given the long shelf life of this type
of product, it may be decades before all
of the contaminated toothpaste is purged
from state institutions in the United States.
In the meantime, prisoners may want to
scrutinize the state-issued toothpaste they
receive.
Sources: Associated Press, Atlanta Journal-
Constitution, New York Times
Bergen County Jail, New Jersey,
Provides Laptops for Legal Research
New Jersey’s Bergen County
Jail is entering the 21 st century
with a revolutionary plan by Sheriff Leo
McGuire to provide prisoners with laptop
computers to do legal research while in
the jail.
The 80 laptops—stripped down
durable mini-PCs—were purchased with
$100,000 of income from prisoner commissary
purchases. The computers will
apparently not have access to the internet
and will be used only for legal research.
Under the program the laptops will be
delivered to prisoners who request them
for allotted periods of time.
The laptops will offer an alternative
to the jail’s crowded law library—and,
according to McGuire, will enhance jail
security. McGuire said there is a potential
risk every time a cell door is opened at the
jail, and delivering laptops to the prisoners
reduces that risk.
Source: northjersey.com
BOP Prisoner Population Exceeds 200,000
In September 2007, the federal bureau
of Prisons (BOP) reaffirmed
its hold on the title of being the nation’s
largest prison system. A weekly population
report showed BOP holding 200,052
prisoners for the first time.
Since the start of the “war on drugs,”
the nation’s prisons have continued to
swell. At least 80 percent of those confined
in BOP prisons are there on drug related
crimes. Some are held on sentences that
impose federal penalties that are increased
for possessing crack cocaine as opposed
to smaller penalties for possessing the
same amount of powder cocaine.
Others are incarcerated after being
kidnapped in their native country by federal
authorities to face trial in the United
States. The BOP reports that 28 percent of
its prisoners are non-U.S. citizens.
The new population level is nearly
10 percent of the 2.3 million people held
in numerous American prisons and jails.
With the elimination of federal parole
and the requirement that prisoners
serve 85 percent of their sentences, the
BOP is certain to continue its expansion.
Source: Bureau of Prisons
Prison Legal News