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Date: Jun 4, 2007
THE ARTICLEUS issues Chinese toothpaste warningConsumer safety officials in the USA have warned Americans against using a toothpaste made in China because it may be poisonous. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) declared that Chinese toothpaste may contain a toxic chemical commonly used in antifreeze – a substance that protects car engines from freezing in cold weather. The FDA said that while there have so far been no reports of toothpaste poisoning in the US, contamination has been reported in Mexico and Panama. It has also found traces of the chemical, diethylene glycol (DEG), in a shipment at the US border with Mexico and at retail stores in Florida and Puerto Rico. The agency said it did not want to alarm the public, but feels it needs to err on the side of caution and that it was better to be safe than sorry. DEG is actually found in other foods. It is used in low-cost sweeteners and as a thickening agent in cooking. The FDA’s concerns are that it should not be included in the ingredients of toothpaste. Officials say the chemical can be dangerous to children and to those with kidney or liver disease. The FDA’s Deborah Autor expressed her fears over the substance, saying: "Our concern today is potentially about all toothpaste that comes in from China.” She added: "Our estimate is that China makes up about US$3.3 million of the US$2 billion US toothpaste market." The FDA reported that DEG has been improperly added to a variety of other Chinese products, including sedatives and cough syrups. In Panama, last September, over 40 people died after taking a cough mixture containing DEG. WARM-UPS1. TOOTHPASTE: Walk around the class and talk to other students about toothpaste. Change partners often. After you finish, sit with your original partner(s) and share what you found out. 2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, decide which of these topics or words from the article are most interesting and which are most boring.
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently. 3. QUALITY: With your partner(s), decide how much you trust the products from these countries. What kinds of products are they good at making? Change partners and share your findings.
4. CONSUMER SAFETY: Are you sure everything you buy is safe / good for you? Discuss the possible dangers of the following. Rank them: 10 = “I’m 100% sure about the safety”; 1 = “I worry a lot about the safety”.
5. DANGEROUS CLASSROOM: Walk around your classroom with your partner. Try to find five possible dangers. Change partners and share your dangers. Talk about how to reduce these dangers. 6. TOOTHPASTE: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with toothpaste. Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories. 7. QUICK DEBATE: Students A strongly believe all Chinese toothpaste should be banned around the world; Students B think Chinese-made toothpaste is perfectly safe. Change partners often. When you have finished, share your findings. BEFORE READING / LISTENING1. TRUE / FALSE: Look at the article’s headline and guess whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F):
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