中國指巴拿馬應為藥毒死亡案負責 (China Blames Panama for Tainted Deadly Medicine)

一位中國官員說，巴拿馬企業為至少51名巴拿馬人因服用含有中國產化學物的藥品而死亡的事件承擔主要責任。

中國國家質量檢驗檢疫總局副局長魏傳忠星期四說，中國一家公司將一種工業溶劑甘油出售給西班牙的一家公司，然后這家公司又轉售給巴拿馬一些公司。這一產品被用來生產止咳糖漿和其它藥品。

魏傳忠承認，中國公司確實貼錯了產品標簽。這種產品含有15%通常用于油漆和防凍劑的甘氨酸。不過，他同時指出，巴拿馬公司應該承擔主要責任，因為他們將產品重新命名為“純甘油”，并更改了有效期。

甘油經常被用來制造藥用糖漿和牙膏。

A Chinese official says businesses in Panama are mainly responsible for the deaths of at least 51 people who used a medicine mixed with a Chinese-made industrial chemical.

Wei Chuangzhong, the vice minister of Administration for Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, said Thursday that a Chinese company had sold the industrial solvent "TD glycerin" to a Spanish company, which then sold it to Panamanian companies. The product was used to make cough syrup and other medicine.

Wei admitted the Chinese companies had mislabeled the product, which contained 15 percent diethylene glycol - a substance used in paint and antifreeze. However, he said the Panamanian companies were mostly at fault because they had renamed the product as "pure glycerine" and changed its expiration date.

Glycerine is frequently used as syrup in medicines and toothpaste.