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Home > China > Unsanitary Chinese Toilet Paper Linked to Health Problems Central News Agency Jan 29, 2004 Experts warn that many brands of toilet paper in China have high bacteria counts that can potentially cause gynecological infections and skin disease, according to Guangdong Consumer Associates. According to the HK Star Daily, the toilet paper samples tested were mainly produced in the cities of Zhongshan, Guandong, JiangMen, and Guangzhou in Guangdong and Jiangsu Provinces. The hygiene index for the toilet paper included total bacteria colony count, as well as amounts of enterococcus, flesh-eating streptococci, and golden staphylococcus. Recently Guangdong and Zhongshan consumer associates examined and compared the 16 types of rolled toilet paper available on the Guangdong market. The test results show that the hygiene test failure rate for the samples tested was 37.5%. Moreover, toilet paper sold on the wholesale market and in small stores failed the national sanitation standard, some having six times the accepted bacteria levels. This represents a serious threat to consumer health. A manager from Guangdong Consumer Associates said that the high index rate for total bacteria colonies could be blamed on unsanitary raw materials used in production. Experts from hospitals confirm that high bacteria count toilet paper can cause gynecological infections and skin disease. According to the report, toilet paper used in some restaurants and small food stores is found to include harmful materials such as fluorescent chemicals and talcum powder. Also, using poor-quality toilet paper for an extended period of time exacerbates skin allergies. But most troubling was that some toilet paper even carried hepatitis bacterium, which can cause serious health problems. |
