Category: Featured Article English

Recent US tests found most of 51 brands of toothpaste tested for lead contained the dangerous heavy metal, including those for children or those marketed as green. The testing also found concerning levels of highly toxic arsenic, mercury and cadmium in many brands. About 90% of toothpastes contained lead, 65% contained arsenic, just under half contained mercury, and one-third had cadmium. Many...

Joint Statement by FOMCA and its 18 affiliate members, the Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) and Third World Network (TWN) Kuala Lumpur, 18 April 2025 – We, a coalition of 21 Malaysian consumer organisations — comprising the Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (FOMCA), its 18 member affiliates, the Consumers Association of Penang (CAP), and the Third World Network (TWN) —...

The first time that Dr Jayabalan A. Thambyappa came across a patient suffering from mesothelioma was back in 1993. At that time, he was working at a private hospital in Malaysia as a medical officer. A man in his late 50s had come to the hospital complaining of shortness of breath and had been coughing for a few months. “The physician who saw him diagnosed him as possibly suffering from...

Consumers are advised to exercise caution amid growing concerns over the widespread sale of cheap perfumes in the market, many of which may contain dangerous synthetic chemicals. Some of these perfumes are being sold for as low as RM5 per bottle, raising serious questions about their ingredients and safety for users. Nur Afni Amir, a UF14 pharmacist and Chemical Safety Coordinator at the...