Fake toothpaste is 'toxic' threat Traces of a toxic chemical have been found in dozens of tubes of fake toothpaste seized at a car boot sale in Derbyshire, a medicine watchdog said. The affected batch was not sold in shops, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said. All tubes of the Sensodyne toothpaste contaminated with toxic levels of diethylene glycol should be discarded.

But the watchdog has "no evidence" yet of any UK consumers suffering adverse reactions to the fake toothpaste. The fake packs are illegal and have no connection with Sensodyne's manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline. The fake toothpaste was sold in packaging written in both English and Arabic.

Genuine Sensodyne packs made by GlaxoSmithKline have packaging written only in English. Tests on the seized toothpaste showed a higher than safe level of a chemical called diethylene glycol which is used at very low levels in some other toothpastes. The affected products - fake Sensodyne Original and Sensodyne Mint sold in 50ml tubes - were sold via "unauthorised" suppliers and not legitimate shops.

Diethylene glycol could be toxic to young children and anyone with an impaired liver or kidney function, the MHRA warned. "We believe that elderly patients (possibly with impaired liver and kidney function) may have purchased this stock due to lower prices in markets, discount shops and car boot sales," the MHRA warned. The MHRA's inquiries into the incident are continuing and it has asked hospitals, wholesalers and pharmacies to check for Sensodyne in combined Arabic and English packaging.

Both the genuine Sensodyne Original and the fake toothpaste have a pink coloured paste, but the Genuine Sensodyne Mint toothpaste is white in colour whereas the fake version has a green paste. Last month, the US Food and Drug Administration issued a warning after diethylene glycol - which is used in antifreeze - was found in several brands of toothpaste imported from China.