Dominican Republic ? More than 10,000 tubes of Chinese-made toothpaste have been removed from stores because they contain a potentially deadly chemical.

Hundreds of health workers have been searching for brands “Excel” and “Mr. Cool” since Dominican authorities learned Friday that they are tainted by the chemical diethylene glycol, environmental health director Luis Felix Roa said Monday.

The shipments arrived from Panama, where last year medicines contaminated by diethylene glycol killed at least 51 people.

Panama also removed the toothpastes from stores last week but said the chemical levels do not appear to be dangerous. Still, officials in both countries have advised consumers not to use the product.

Panamanian customs chief Daniel Delgado told officials here that the toothpaste was manufactured in China, Dominican customs spokesman Abinader Fortunato said.

China’s international image for food and drug safety has been tarnished in recent months with allegations that tainted ingredients from its companies ended up in products blamed for deaths in Panama and for killing pets in the United States.

The contaminated toothpaste entered the Dominican Republic illegally in shipments registered as food for animals, the health department said.