Canadian health department has advised people against using Neem toothpaste from India, claiming that it contains high levels of harmful bacteria apart from a chemical found in antifreeze, which was discovered earlier.
Neem Active Toothpaste with Calcium, made by Calcutta Chemical Co. Ltd. in India, should not be used, Health Canada warned.
It claimed that ingesting the product could trigger fever, urinary tract infections and gastrointestinal symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pain. Children and people with weakened immune systems would be at the highest risk of negative side-effects from using the toothpaste, Health Canada said.
Health Canada  added that Neem Active Toothpaste is not approved for sale in Canada. Late last month, Health Canada warned Canadians not to use the toothpaste because it alleged that the product had been found to contain unacceptable levels of diethylene glycol or DEG, used in the making of antifreeze.