Toothpaste imported from China and containing diethylene glycol, a chemical in antifreeze, was more widely distributed in the United States than originally thought. While the recalled toothpaste was believed to be only in discount stores, information surfaced in late June 2007 that roughly 900,000 tubes of the recalled Chinese products were in prisons, mental-health facilities, juvenile detention centers, and hospitals in the southern U.S.

State officials in North Carolina and Georgia said their state-run institutions distributed the toothpaste, while hospital officials in South Carolina and Florida reported receiving the recalled toothpaste. North Carolina and Georgia officials said they are replacing the tainted tubes with brands made outside China.

George Dudley, a spokesman for the North Carolina Department of Corrections, said his agency purchased approximately 22,000 tubes of Pacific brand Chinese toothpaste, which contained a small amount of the dangerous chemical. Pacific declined to comment when the New York Times called.

Source: Walt Bogdanich, “Wider Sale Is Seen for Toothpaste Tainted in China,” New York Times, June 28, 2007.