China's health watchdog has ordered the recall of two brands of disposable nappies mainly on sale in the country's rural areas.

In a nationwide check earlier this year, the Ministry of Health found that nappies under the brand names Haobeir and Jinglianbangshuang contained excessive amounts of eumycetes - a type of fungus.

The ministry asked the producers, the Quanzhou Ailishi sanitary products company based in southeast China's Fujian Province and Zhengding Guangda sanitary products plant based in northern Hebei Province, to recall the substandard products.

Local health authorities will penalize the two producers according to the Disinfection Management Methods which came into effect on July 1, 2002, the ministry said.

The ministry did not specify the severity of the penalties. According to regulations, the producers face a maximum fine of up to 5,000 yuan (about US$658).

As a result of the checkup, three other brands of nappies will receive "punishments" as their product labeling failed to meet national requirements, said the ministry.

Companies which continue to market the substandard products will also be punished, the ministry said.

(Xinhua News Agency July 5, 2007)