Only a short while ago it was announced that tooth whitening should only be carried out by trained professionals and that anything else could be a danger to the patient’s health; as a result, a teeth whitening trader has now been given a jail sentence as part of a crackdown on unsafe practices and hazardous products.
Barrington Armstrong-Thorpe, 64, was jailed for sixteen months after selling whitening products containing peroxide levels of up to 100 times the legal limit. Essex Trading Standards prosecuted the trader for breach of the Cosmetic Product Regulations Act 2008 and for misleading consumers; he denied any offence but was found guilty by a jury and sentenced this week.
Armstrong-Thorpe began selling the dangerous whitening products in 2005 through a company called Smile Brighter Marketing Limited and later through online retailers. The legal limit for hydrogen peroxide content is 0.1% but some of the online products sold by Mr Armstrong-Thorpe where found to be 103 times that limit, which could seriously damage tooth enamel.
Kevin Bentley, the council’s cabinet member in charge of trading standards said that ‘This conviction should act as a warning to other traders that may be trying to make money by selling these illegal goods. It should also be a reminder to our residents to only purchase goods like this from a reputable source.’