20 March 2013/08 Jumada l-Ula 1434/30 Esfand 1391/09 Yi-Mao (2nd month) 4711

It was discovered by a Chinese actor that his cheap chopsticks were actually toxic.  He made the discovery when he tried to wash them and they turned the water yellow, and it smelled bad.

Chinese media asked some industry officials about it and they admitted that there are no controls over the chopstick industry, and that toxic chemicals are used even though they are banned: “Sulphur, hydrogen peroxide, sodium sulfite and mold inhibitor, are chemical substances commonly used to make disposable chopsticks, even though they are not allowed.”-Dong Jinshi, International Food Packaging Association

The Chinese media has been revealing problems with the chopsticks industry since 2010.