China probes tableware for toxic ingredients: report
Agence France-Presse | 12/31/2008 1:58 PM
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BEIJING - China's quality watchdog is testing plastic tableware for toxic ingredients, state media said Tuesday, reporting the latest product safety scare to hit the nation.
"We are keeping a close eye on this issue and conducting product safety tests," said an unnamed official with the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, according to the China Daily.
The investigation came after Chinese media reported some plastic tableware sold in domestic supermarkets and wholesale markets contained a chemical component that could be poisonous when heated, the newspaper said.
The component, identified as carbamide, can be an irritant to skin, eyes and the respiratory system, the reports said.
The tableware problem is the latest in a number of product safety scandals emerging from China.
In the nation's worst food safety case in years, at least six babies died this year and 294,000 fell ill after drinking milk laced with melamine, which was mixed into watered-down milk to make it appear richer in protein.
The chemical -- normally used to make plastics -- caused severe kidney and urinary tract problems in babies who drank contaminated milk powder.
