The State Food and Drug Administration said Saturday it found no
evidence that Johnson & Johnson baby products made in China
contain potential carcinogens as alleged by an activist group.
The Shanghai Food and Drug Administration found no contamination
by formaldehyde, or 1,4-dioxane, in 33 products _ including 14 bath
or sanitary-related items _ sold by the company's Shanghai branch,
the watchdog said on its Web site.
"The State Food and Drug Administration will continue to closely
monitor the situation and do testing in a timely manner," it
said.
Johnson & Johnson baby shampoo and other products were among
dozens from different manufacturers listed in a March 12 report by
U.S.-based health and environmental activist group Campaign for
Safe Cosmetics as containing formaldehyde, or 1,4-dioxane.
The allegations struck a nerve in China, where a slew of product
safety and quality scandals has left consumers jittery over
potential risks.
A Shanghai-based supermarket chain, Nong Gong Shang, pulled
Johnson Baby Shampoo from its shelves last week in reaction to the
report.
A supermarket in the central city of Chongqing also pulled three
kinds of baby products from their shelves over safety fears, the
Chongqing Times said Wednesday.
China's General Administration of Quality Supervision,
Inspection and Quarantine also tested 31 batches of bath products
made by Johnson & Johnson's China operations, the official
Xinhua News Agency said Friday, and found they met the standard for
formaldehyde. One batch contained a small amount of
1,4-dioxane.
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 1,4-dioxane
can form as a byproduct during manufacturing of some cosmetics. The
suspected carcinogen is used as a solvent for paints, varnishes,
cleaning and detergent preparations and as a solvent stabilizer and
corrosion inhibitor.
The FDA said levels of the chemical that it has found in
cosmetics it has monitored do not present a hazard to
consumers.
Formaldehyde, a preservative commonly found in construction
materials, can cause breathing problems and is classified as a
carcinogen.
Johnson & Johnson issued a statement reassuring customers
and accusing the activists' report of unnecessarily alarming
parents.