Neem toothpaste safe, says firm

Henkel India has claimed the toothpaste is completely safe and does not contain the poisonous Diethylene Glycol (DEG), reports Sanchita Sharma.

Following the Canadian government’s advice last week against the use of Neem Active Toothpaste with Calcium from India, its manufacturer Henkel India has claimed the toothpaste is completely safe and does not contain the poisonous Diethylene Glycol (DEG).

Said Henkel India managing director A Satish Kukmar, “DEG is not used to manufacture Neem Active toothpaste and the product does not contain DEG either. Therefore, it is safe for use.”

Swallowing DEG causes nausea, abdominal pain, urinary problems, kidney failure, breathing problems, lethargy, convulsions, coma and even death. Samples of the toothpaste were also found to contain harmful bacteria that can cause fever, urinary tract infection, vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pain.

“After the Canadian allegations, we tested toothpaste samples for bacteria and DEG from batches manufactured over the past two years and found them safe. The test results have made it clear that there is no DEG or harmful bacteria in the product,” said Kumar.

Henkel India said they have asked Canadian authorties for details like batch numbers and year of manufacture of the samples tested and the methodology used to arrive at the results. “Neem Active Toothpaste has not been exported to Canada since 2000, so the samples tested are either past their expiry period or have been carried as baggage or assorted stock by shopkeepers. They could even be fakes. We need more details to be sure,” Kumar said.