Panama Health Authorities Eye Products
One hundred products without health registration or with labels in other languages were detected in the continued operations of Panamanian authorities Thursday, after finding a toxin in toothpaste.

Panamanian Food Security Authority officials found imported products in supermarkets without the required certification, and other products which had labels in the languages of the exporting countries, such as Japanese, Chinese and Arabic.

The inspections began this week after two toothpaste brands were found to contain diethyl glycol, an industrial solvent that caused at least 100 deaths in Panama in recent months.

Investigations have shown that several medicines made by the Social Security Administration were mixed with that toxin and caused the deaths.

Fourth Superior Court prosecutor Dimas Guevara warned that the number of deaths could increase, as scientists continue to study pending cases and exhuming corpses.

The crisis began October 2 when health authorities decreed an epidemiological alert due to the deaths of several people from then unknown causes.