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Galluccio fails random alcohol test, blames toothpaste
State Sen. Anthony D. Galluccio has failed random alcohol tests - blaming his toothpaste - while on home confinement less than a week after pleading guilty to a hit-and-run crash in Cambridge.

A judge could rule as early as tomorrow if the Cambridge Democrat should be sent to jail for violating terms of his sentencing.

Galluccio pleaded guilty Friday to an Oct. 4 hit-and-run accident that injured two people, including a 13-year-old boy.


He vowed to stay off booze, but the Herald has learned he failed random alcohol tests given at his home.

Galluccio admitted today in a statement he failed Breathalyzer tests blowing "low level positive reads over the course of an hour."

He blamed the positive readings on his choice of toothpaste.

"After discussing it with a physician, we have determined that is the result of my using two toothpastes - Colgate Total Whitening and Sensodyne Toothpaste, both of which contain sorbitol," Galluccio added. "While I knew that mouthwash or cold medicine would set the machine off, it did not occur to me that toothpaste would."
Bloody nonsense. Sorbitol is a humectant, in other words it keeps the toothpaste from drying out by holding onto the water in the toothpaste formula. Sorbitol is used in children's toothpastes as well as adult toothpastes, and the FDA would never permit anything mind-altering to be added to an over-the-counter product for children. Now if it were mouthwash, that would be another story -- many are quite high in alcohol, and are a favourite of closet alcoholics. I'm quite, quite certain Mr. Galluccio's physician does not have the training to have an opinion on the matter -- he would have been better off calling the 800-number to find the answer... or asking a convenient pharmacist. As the pharmacists like to say, "Doctors know diseases; pharmacists know medicines."

I'd bet big money the Colgate-Palmolive and Sensodyne companies will have statements out no later than Boxing Day explaining there is no risk of alcohol absorption from their products. Perhaps to be followed by a similar statement from the FDA in due course. This is exactly the kind of thing they have in-house lawyers and science staffs to handle.

Posted by: Fred 2009-12-24
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=286313