Law and Order: Criminal Intent - Fiction Takes a Clue from Real Life

Many of us enjoy the episodes of Law and Order: Criminal Intent, and while those cases may be fictional, many do not realize that the facts are often only TOO real. “Smile”, which first aired October 18, 2007 (Season 7 Episode 136), depicts the murder case of a dentist and the mysterious death of four young patients. As the case unravels, the young children’s deaths are tied to counterfeit mouthwash manufactured in China.

Law & Order - Counterfeit Mouthwash

As we return to the REAL world, we discover that counterfeit mouthwash and counterfeit toothpaste were discovered in Panama and claimed hundreds of lives in May of 2007. This particular news made national headlines, but many do not understand that it also hits much closer to home here in the U.S.

Also in 2007, counterfeit tubes of Colgate toothpaste were discovered in Dollar Plus Stores. The packaging was for distribution in Africa and was not Colgate’s packaging, but a fair imitation. The real life clincher is the owner commented that the tubes couldn’t be counterfeit because he had purchased them from a big company, but the toothpaste was found to contain Diethylene Glycol, the same ingredient that was depicted in the Law & Order story and the same ingredient that caused so many deaths.

Unfortunately, sometimes real life can be as unbelievable as those fictional stories we watch.

Which leads us to wonder – “Do you know where your toothpaste has been?”