Statement: ‘I still dare to take paracetamol’

Daily newspaper NRC and TV show zembla have discovered that an estimated 36 million contaminated paracetamol tablets have been made. They contain the carcinogen PCA. The tablets contained very little of this substance, they still met the safety standard for medicines. If it had been mints, the limit would have been crossed, because the food standard is stricter. The paracetamol raw material came from the Chinese factory Anqui Lu’an, the largest producer of paracetamol raw material in the world. Read more about it here.

Unfortunately, you can’t check your medicine cabinet to see if your paracetamol is ‘clean’. It is not known which brand or which batch of paracetamol is contaminated and which is not. We also do not know how much of the paracetamol has reached the Dutch market. It may be announced in the coming days, but for now it remains to be seen. What do you think of that?

‘Once, I just take paracetamol’

Paracetamol is the first choice pain reliever. I am dependent on paracetamol and use it every day. If I were to switch to another painkiller, I would be further away from home. Ibuprofen and naproxen have much more side effects, especially in people over 60. The negligible risk of this pollution is negligible compared to the risks of the alternatives to paracetamol.

‘Disagree, I dare not take paracetamol’

First the high blood pressure medicines, then the stomach medicines and now paracetamol again. It creates little confidence, all those medicines that are contaminated with dangerous substances. It is possible that this paracetamol will be withdrawn from the market, even though the MEB and the IGJ still say that the tablets are sufficiently safe. I’d rather wait for the news about these parties before taking paracetamol again.