Panama has today warned that part of a shipment of toothpaste contaminated with the toxic chemical ethylene glycol that was originally imported into a Panamanian free zone was then shipped on to the Dominican Republic.

The toothpaste sold under the brand names Mr. Cool and Excel originated in China. It has been confirmed that 6,168 units of toothpaste entered Panama, sold by J&M International Corporation to Lidice Investment through intermediary Geocargo Zona Libre, S.A. and seven containers were shipped to the Dominican Republic and entered the local market between October and December 2006.

The toothpaste apparently did not have the proper sanitary registration and can have deadly consequences if used by humans. Approximately 100 people in Panama have died as a consequence of using the product.

A probe is underway to determine the cause of the contamination and how it managed to enter Panama originally.