Children's health food products found to contain DEHP

2011/05/26 Taipei, May 26 (CNA) Two children's health food products under the Taiwan branch of Cerebos Pacific Ltd. have been found to contain the toxic chemical DEHP, the company said Thursday in a statement on its website.The contaminated products -- a calcium supplement and a multivitamin tablet for children -- were immediately pulled from store shelves after the cancer-causing plasticizer was detected, the company said. Cerebos Taiwan said the two products were manufactured by local pharmaceutical product maker Prince Pharmaceutical Co., which purchased its ingredients from Yu Sheng Chemical Co., the company that produces the DEHP-tainted emulsifier used in the vitamins. Investigations have shown that Yu Sheng has been adding the poisonous industrial plasticizer to an emulsifier as a substitute for the more expensive palm oil, in order to lower its production costs. The resulting product, called cloudy agent, which stabilizes emulsions, is often found in fruit jelly, yogurt mix powder, juices, sports drinks and other beverages. Cerebos Taiwan said it has already sent the two products to a government-certified inspection unit for further testing, and will reserve the right to take legal action against the manufacturer. The reproductive systems of children and teenagers are still immature, which makes them more vulnerable to the toxicity of DEHP, said Lin Chieh-liang, director of the clinical toxicology department at the Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Linkou, in New Taipei City. Doctors have warned that the toxic chemical can interfere with normal hormonal action and reduce testosterone levels in boys, disrupting their sexual development. Exposure to DEHP is also believed to disrupt the development of male hormones in fetuses and to lead to early sexual development in girls. Lin said that boys who have drunk sports beverages or taken health-care products every day for the past year should consider taking a sperm test. A total of 167 food ingredient suppliers in Taiwan could face recalls due to the contamination, which was first found in sports drinks, but has also been found in health food products. All the tainted products are linked to Yu Sheng. As of late Thursday, food companies, including Wei Chuan Corp., HeySong Corp., Taiwan Sugar Co., Cerebos Taiwan Ltd., Orient Europharma Co., and King Car Group have been affected by the contamination. (By Huang Shu-fang, Chen Ching