[Courtesy of AmorePacific]
South Korean cosmetics giant AmorePacific Co. stopped sales of its popular toothpaste Tuesday and offered full refunds after a foot safety agency discovered harmful chemicals that could hurt lungs.
Major discount store chains started removing AmorePacific's toothpaste from their shelves after the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said that 11 kinds of toothpaste sold by AmorePacifc contained a small amount of chloro-methylisothiazolinone and methylisothiazolinone.
The amount of chemicals used by AmorePacific was below Europe's maximum permissible level of 15 ppm, posing no significant health risks if consumers rinse it with water, the ministry said.
However, public health concerns grew because similar agents were contained in toxic humidifier sterilizers produced by Oxy Reckitt Benckiser Korea, the local unit of a British company.
Government data showed 103 people, including dozens of pregnant women and infants, were presumed to have died after using humidifier disinfectants produced by Oxy and other companies. Oxy has been widely vilified for covering up the harmfulness of its product and a dozen people have been charged.
Aju News Lim Chang-won = cwlim34@ajunews.com
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