Related News

Home » Metro » Society

Refunds to follow on cancer-linked powder

CHINESE mainland consumers who bought NUK baby talcum powder will receive full refunds from the stores where they picked up the possibly tainted talc, company officials said yesterday.

Suzhou Debao Baby Supplies Co Ltd, the German brand's general agent for the mainland, said it informed all its dealers to remove the suspect product from their shelves and launched a nationwide recall.

"Customers can return the powder for refunds, even without a sales certificate and no matter which production batch it is," said a Debao official identified only as Xiao. "We informed all our dealers of this policy over the weekend. There may be a delay in taking action due to the Qingming Festival from April 4 to 6."

She said Debao was informed by the German company MAPA, which makes NUK, to recall all its baby talcum after South Korean authorities detected asbestos in NUK and 11 other products during a test of 30 baby powders last week.

NUK has not said how asbestos may have gotten into the company's products. But according to the American Cancer Society, talcum powder is produced from the mineral talc, which may contain asbestos in its natural form.

The inhalation of asbestos can lead to diseases such as cancer of the respiratory system, according to health experts.

At least one local baby product Website said it has started to offer unconditional refunds.

"We removed all the NUK baby talcum powder yesterday," a Redbaby Website official said yesterday. "We received some phone calls from customers and told them they can return the product to us and get a refund."

A representative of Aiyingshi, another online seller, said NUK baby powder sold well and that it was surprising to learn the product must be removed because of safety risks.

Baodaxiang Department Store in Shanghai, which specializes in children's products, and two other major retailers contacted by Shanghai Daily said they removed the talc even though they were still awaiting an official refund notice.

"The authorities had better carry out a wide investigation to ensure the quality of all baby powders on the market to protect children's health, said Wang Yajun, a Shanghai mother who has an eight-month-old son.

The Shanghai Industrial and Commercial Administration Bureau said yesterday that it was closely following the situation.

China's General Administration for Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said on Sunday it had begun an urgent investigation into NUK powder.




 

Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.

沪公网安备 31010602000204号

Email this to your friend