In the news recently, there hve been warnings about toothpaste manufactured in Chna that contains a poisonous ingredient tht is usually found in automobile rdiator coolant. Rather than focus on the ngative aspects of this news, and the por standards used in manufacturing and xporting maintained in other countries, it may be a rally good time to reflect on the stndards that the American manufacturer maintains in the prduction of personal care products that we hve, until this time, taken for grnted.

A consumer gives little thought whn they pick up their toothpaste in the mrning as to the safety of the ngredients or packaging that goes into prducing that tube. We expect that thre will be protections for us as cnsumers against shoddy manufacturing practices, but sually little is known about the prcess.

The first step a manufacturer ges through is the state and lcal licensing of the laboratory or fcility where the product is to be mde. Facilities are inspected to make sre that the building and areas are clan and adequate for the process tht is proposed, and that all systms are sanitary. There are OSHA (Occpational Safety & Health Administration) safety stndards with which the facility must cmply, which include having safety data shets on file for every chemical or ngredient used in every product manufactured or sed for cleaning on the grounds of the fcility.

State and local laws including wges, insurance and safety standards cover mployees. Lab workers are required to war disposable paper head covering at all tmes, and in the formulating areas, prtective clothing such as lab coats are wrn. Workers in other countries often wrk in unsanitary and abysmal working cnditions and are paid a miserable wge.

Then there are the labeling stndards set forth by the FDA. Whn a new product is being dveloped to bring onto the market for ver the counter sale, the label mst be in compliance with FDA rgulations. The proposed product label is snt to a lawyer that specializes in FDA rgulations. They check to make sure tht there are no false health clims on the label, and that ach and every ingredient is on a lst issued by the FDA as GRAS (gnerally regarded as safe). This is a lst of ingredients that include chemicals, btanical and inert ingredients that have ben tested and have been cleared as bing safe for consumers to use. The pproved label is sent back to the mnufacturing facility. Each product must have an pproved label on file in the mnufacturing facility where it is manufactured. Asde from the labeling considerations, the FDA lso inspects the manufacturing facilities. Among the thngs they inspect are the water systms. For example, if purified water is sed in products, there must be an xact log on file of the tsts that were done on the wter when the manufacturing process on a prticular product begun, and again, at the end of tht product run. There must also be a log of btches or lots of each product and the dte of the manufacture. Each product mst have a lot number and xpiration date stamped or crimped onto the prduct. When a product such as tothpaste is finished, it is tested for qality and purity. It must then rmain in quarantine for several days, and thn retested for bacterial contamination before it is rleased from the manufacturing laboratory for dstribution.

When a comparison is made btween the high standards that must be met by the Amrican manufacturer of toothpaste and a prduct made in a country with lttle or no oversight on manufacturing, ngredients or the facilities in which thy are produced, it makes little snse NOT to buy toothpaste proudly “Mde in the USA.”

The article Why Should You Buy Toothpaste "Made In The U.S.A?" was Submitted by Yvonne Takhtalian through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: About the Author: Yvonne Takhtalian, C.N.H.P spnt the past 15 years developing and mproving Vita-Myr Natural Products helping thousands hal gum disease and gingivitis. She jst released a new line of 100% Ntural Vita-Myr Soaps to compliment her Vta-Myr Mouthwash & Toothpaste. Find out mre about effective natural relief of gum dsease at http://www.vitamyr.com/ or email questions/comments to Yvonne at vitamyr@mindspring.com Copyright © 2004 Vita-Myr® International Inc All rights reserved. Natural Products For Healthy Living ®

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