Mouthwash with chemical content that exceeds the allowable limit might do the user more harm than good, the Consumers’ Foundation said yesterday.
Mouth rinses are commonly used to get rid of germs and prevent bad breath.
However, there are concerns about the safety of some products, because there are currently no standards regulating their contents, the foundation said.
Using the standards set for toothpaste, the foundation inspected 15 mouthwashes bought in supermarkets and cosmetic shops and found that six had a pH lower than 5 and one contained enough chlorhexidine gluconate to be labeled as over-the-counter medication.
An oral environment with a pH lower than 5 can easily lead to cavities caused by the overgrowth of acidic bacteria, and the inspection the average pH value of all tested products was about 7, the agency said.
The concentration of three different chemical substances — triclosan, fluoride and chlorhexidine — in mouthwashes was also tested.
Triclosan is commonly found in antibacterial hygiene products, but can cause tumors or hormonal imbalance if used excessively.
Health authorities have set the limit for the concentration of triclosan in toothpastes. at 0.03 percent
The foundation did not find any mouthwashes exceeding this limit.
Fluoride, which is widely used to prevent cavities, can cause damage to teeth and bones if used in large doses. The national standard (for toothpaste) is 1,500 parts per million and all items were found to be within these limits as well, the foundation said.
However, one brand of mouthwash tested had a chlorhexidine gluconate concentration higher than is allowed in a general commercial product.
The foundation warned consumers against using mouthwash for periodontitis prevention, as most mouthwashes on sale contain little or no antibacterial substances.
In addition, swallowing mouthwash with fluoride can be extremely harmful to a person’s health, especially children’s, it said.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
RSS