The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said in a statement that the administration is closely watching Hong Kong's recall of the three brands of toothpastes: MAXAM Toothpaste with Fluoride, SANQI and Tianqi.

The statement said the administration had asked the Hong Kong Customs to submit a detailed report on how and why it called back the toothpastes and let it know that tests carried out by Chinese experts on 1,965 people in 2000 had proved toothpastes containing less than 15.6 percent of diethylene glycol, a tolerable amount, is harmless for humans.

The Hong Kong Customs advised consumers on Monday not to buy or use the above three brands of toothpaste after tests found that they contained diethylene glycol, ranging from 0.21 percent to 7.5 percent.

According to the Hong Kong government's news website, the local Department of Health advised that under certain circumstances, using toothpaste with a DEG content of 0.21 percent to 7.5 percent daily could lead to DEG absorption above the tolerable level as allocated by the European Union's Scientific Committee of Food.

The department recommended that people avoid using the toothpastes.

The local Customs & Excise Department officers took samples of toothpaste products from the local market and sent them to the Government Chemist for tests. Advice from the Department of Health was then sought.

The officers approached the sole agents of the toothpastes requiring them to stop supplying and recall them. Customs would continue spot checks, said the Hong Kong government.