Guam Public Health On Alert, But Naval Says No Tainted Taiwan Food Products Found on Guam

Last Updated on Thursday, 09 June 2011 16:00
Written by Kevin Kerrigan
Thursday, 09 June 2011 11:20
Guam News – Guam News

Guam – The Guam Department of Public Health [DPHSS] has issued an alert affecting certain food products from Taiwan that have higher than safe levels of the plastic DEHP.
According to a release from DPHSS at least one company on Guam was found to have supplies of a suspected brand of Mango instant powder contaminated with DEHP. But Acting DPHSS Administrator Cynthia Naval told PNC News that tests proved negative and no DEHP laced Taiwan food products have been found on Guam.

The Taiwanese food products which are suspected of unacceptable DEHP levels include sports drinks, juices, teas, fruit jams, syrups, tablets and powders.

According to the Taiwan Food and Drug administration the Yu Shen Company intentionally added a so called “cloudy agent” containing DEHP into commonly used juices and beverages.

DEHP is normally used as a plastic in packaging food products because it makes the plastic more flexible. A release from Guam Public Health states that high doses of DEHP can lead to “testicular effects, fertility problems and toxicity to the kidneys.”

The Taiwan FDA website states:

“The incident is originated from intentional addition of DEHP to the cloudy agent and led to food contamination. The industry guilty of the charge has been subjected to inspect and punish by FDA and investigation authorities. Since DEHP is strictly prohibited in food, the products involved in the incident will all be confiscated and destroyed.”

You must copy and paste the link below into your search bar in order to go to the Taiwan FDA website listing products under recall [click on the link and you'll understand why you have to copy and paste it]

http://www.fda.gov.tw/eng/news_list.aspx?time=1&classifysn=118The Taiwan FDA alert was issued on May 23erd. Last week the CNMI issued its own alert. Today Guam Public Health issued their alert.
Although Guam Public Health has not named the product, the Taiwan FDA provides the following information about the contaminated products:

To protect the food safety and health of the general public, TFDA and local health governments pledge to conduct continuous tracking on the companies and products that illegally use of the DEHP. All products containing the plasticizer provided by Yu Shen Company are required to be taken off store shelves. Up to now, suspected product categories contaminated with DEHP and removed from the store shelves include: juice, fruit jam, syrup, fruit powder, yogurt powder etc. totaling 20,880.45 kg; 464,365 bottles of sports drinks, flavored juice, and tea beverages; 133,887 boxes and 30,000 packs of powdered probiotics.

Preliminary results reveal that two sports drinks (Dongli Sport Drinks and Dongli Lemon Sport Drinks) have been exported to Hong Kong. A downstream company, Triko Foods Co., Ltd. was found to have sold the DEHP-contaminated clouding agent to Philippines and Vietnam. Three other tainted products have been sold to the U.S. by Chuan Chia Foods Co. TFDA has informed the above mentioned countries.

The Taiwan FDA website identified the contaminated products as: Nature House Lactic Acid Bacteria (apple vinegar-flavored lactic acid powder) produced by King Car Group; Skinny Dietary Drinks by Chang Gung Biotechnology Corp.; Taiwan Sugar Ginger Clam Tablets by Taiwan Sugar Corporation; and Dongli Sports Drinks and Dongli Lemon Sports Drinks.
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Please check the labels on your products before you buy or consume them.

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Zoe Diana Draelos, MD
Wake Forest University School of Medicine

Today’s sunscreens feel nicer and work better. The
reasons…

Ingredients that block rays physically (zinc oxide and titanium dioxide) are now finely ground (micronized) to be smoother and less visible.

The ingredient avobenzone chemically absorbs ultraviolet (UV) rays — but breaks down in the process.

Improvement: New formulas also have octocrylene, oxybenzone and/or ecamsule — these chemicals slow avobenzone breakdown, protecting skin longer.

Follow the guidelines below no matter what your skin color — in dark-skinned people, skin cancers are less common but more deadly…

Use the right sun protection factor (SPF). The lower its SPF, the less greasy a sunscreen may feel. Use SPF 15 for a quick walk… SPF 30 at the beach… SPF 45 if you’re very fair or in the tropics. If swimming or sweating, use a water-resistant formula.

Avoid combination insect repellent/sunscreen. Sunscreen should be applied every two hours — but repellents should be applied only every six hours because their chemicals may cause skin irritation and nausea.

Buy broad-spectrum formulas that protect against UVB (rays that burn top skin layers) and UVA (deeper-penetrating rays).

New finding: UVA is more damaging to basal cells, where most skin cancers develop, than was previously believed.

Women’s Health interviewed Zoe Diana Draelos, MD, clinical associate professor of dermatology at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and a research dermatologist with Dermatology Consulting Services in High Point, North Carolina.