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Sep 24, 2008 06:07 PM | 21
According to the latest report from the Associated Press, dairy products made in China and contaminated with a chemical called melamine have sickened at least 54,000 babies and killed four. In the wake of the outbreak, first reported two weeks ago, a dozen countries, mostly in Africa and Asia have banned import of Chinese dairy products, including powered milk, baby formula, ice cream and yogurt. New Zealand authorities are now warning its citizens not to eat White Rabbit Creamy Candies; the international supermarket giant Tesco pulled the product from shelves (in groceries from from Britain to Malaysia) after the sweets were found to contain high levels of melamine.
So what is it?
Melamine is a nitrogen-based compound used in commercial and industrial plastics, such as eating utensils and laminates, whiteboard wall paneling, flooring and Formica countertops. According to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials, who investigated melamine contamination in pet food last year, it is also used as a fertilizer in Asia. An estimated 8,500 dogs and cats died of kidney failure after chowing down on melamine laced fare; when large amounts of the chemical are ingested, it causes the formation of kidney stones, as well as the organs' failure.
Chinese food companies use the nitrogen-based compound in wheat flour and other products to make these products appear to have more protein. Normally, proteins are the only source of nitrogen in food, so by looking for that element in tests, one can figure out relative protein concentrations. "Whenever someone looks at nitrogen in food, almost always they are looking at the amount of protein in food," Lora Sporny, a professor of nutrition education at Columbia University in New York, told ScientificAmerican.com last year.
During a press conference held during last year's pet food scandal, FDA official Stephen Sundlof said it was possible that the tainted grub was deliberately spiked with melamine to make it appear to have higher protein levels. "The motivation would be economic in that you can take a product that is low in protein," he said, "and add a substance that from a chemistry standpoint makes the product appear to have a higher protein content than it does so it can be marketed at the price."
What does melamine do in the body? A Cornell veterinarian told us last year that melamine is not considered to be "a very toxic compound," but can result in kidney stones and kidney failure especially in small animals. Investigators found crystals made up of melamine and its byproducts in the urine and kidneys of in the dogs and cats that were poisoned last year. Because it formed crystals in the body and was not fully dissolved in urine, the melamine gathered in the kidney, gunking up the organ and forming stones. The pets that died suffered acute kidney failure.
Now the same thing appears to be happening to China's tiny tots. Chinese officials claim they have a handle on the problem; there have been at least 18 arrests in the probe and the head of China's quality watchdog group resigned. Nevertheless, parents in China and places where the product is sold are reported to be nervous. The FDA says it's unlikely that any of the tainted products made it to the U.S. but agents were scouting shops in Asian neighborhoods in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Seattle to make sure that none had slipped through to those community shops.
(Photo: iStockphoto/Isabelle Limbach)
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melamine,
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China,
milk powder,
dairy
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21 Comments
Add CommentDoes anyone EVER proofread these articles?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this"Food companies (in China and where else) often use the compound in wheat flour and other products to artificially inflate the purported protein content of their products"
So Melamine is a protein, in China and elsewhere?
First and ONLY article I have seen so far that points out the connection between the current Chineese dairy crisis and the Chineese pet food crisis that dominated the media a little over a year ago. It is obvious that the Chineese food industry in general (both animal and human) has no ethics and therefore NO food products from China can be trusted. I have a feeling that these events will severely cut into the double-digit economic growth that China has been experiencing over the past few decades.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisYes, I agree the article is confusing. Melamine is not a protein, so the article should state that it is the nitrogen content that is measured, not the protein content. Melamine has three amine groups bonded to a triazine ring (1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-triamine). The reference analytical method to measure the nitrogen content of foods and by extension the protein content since it is the only source of nitrogen in foods, is the Kjeldahl method. Other methods are usually validated against Kjeldahl. My surprise has been, with the pet food scandal and this one, that only Kjeldhal must be used to test protein content?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe Chinese food industry obviously has some moral issues if they are putting a harmful chemical in their pet food and other products, just so they can sell it with a higher price tag. It doesnt make any sense to me to put this chemical in products if its going to harm or possibly kill people and pets. Even if they do get more money for their products, it is not worth the lives that they are taking.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisLet me modify my comment a bit. Actually other sources of nitrogen in foods are nucleotides, creatine, and choline, and free amino acids, for example so protein is not the sole source of nitrogen.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisApparently, some of the Chinese milk powder producers and manufacturers knew much earlier that the melamine contents in their products are way too high and likely to cause kidney failures, especially among the infants. Yet these immoral money cravers decided to ignore the plausible fatal consequences. Without any slightest concern of the consumers health or life, these shameless criminals just refuse to know what conscience is.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThis revelation comes in as an anticlimax to the glorious Beijing 2008 Olympics. It tarnishes Chinese image real badly in the eyes of the world.
The authority, led by Premier Wen, had vowed to nab and punish the culprits severely apart from ensuring the public that there would not be any such repetition in the future.
Let everyone learn this bitter lesson. Never gather dirty wealth at the great expense of the poor and the innocent. (Tan Boon Tee)
I gave my children, now aged 9, 11, 13, Yili and Mengnui milk for over a year. I just stopped after knowing about this recent scandal of melamine-contaminated milk from China. I would like to know if drinking this much contaminated milk over a long period of time and in a dose of 1 to 2 glasses a day has already acted on or changed the health of my children (in particular, on their kidneys...). What should they be tested for to know if this did not have any long-term effect on their health (or any part of their organs). I know that one daughter developed allergy symptoms to I never knew what, but I never suspected (not until recently) that it could have been this brand of milk. I am a concerned parent . Please illuminate me. Thanks
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisA Good doctor is best person to advise you. Also be persistant till all tests are performed and you can feel secure that your children have not had any effect.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMy dog got very sick with liver failure. The vet ran various tests to see if we could find the cause. The only thing that changed is I opened a new bag of dog food and within two to three meals she got very sick. Does anyone know if melamine causes liver damage?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMelamine Discovery in the US is a Distraction from the real danger—imported products from China
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thishttp://genevievelong.wordpress.com/2008/11/26/us-officials-find-melamine-in-infant-formula/
melamine is only 1 of hundreds of toxic chemicals that make it into the commercial "food" supply.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisTHE FDA IS A JOKE!!!!
The main reason melamine is getting so much coverage is because of how quick it dose its damage. thank goodness that a blind eye isn't being turned on this stuff, like so many other toxic chemicals that have been deemed "food grade" by the FDA. Its unfortunate that we don't have anyone (aside from ourselves) to truly monitor (with the health of the consumers ((us)) in mind that is) whats goes into our food nowadays.
Sad fact is, they could have been perfectly honest about putting the melamine in the food, they could have listed it in the ingredients with a little warning even, and people still would have bought it,and eaten it, and gotten sick.
there are thousands of examples that proves this comment to be painfully true.........
melamine discovery in the US is a distraction from the another real danger-
corporations ( all over the world) knowingly put peoples health and lives at risk just to make an extra buck!!
just like (and equally as guilty as) a neighborhood drug dealer cutting some coke with with, well lets face it, whatever they want to. the only difference is the dealer wont get a promotion (but he might get a seat in the FDA).
this, in all honesty, is not an exaggeration.
Christmas gifts beware --- I just bought 4 cute containers at K-Mart with cocoa powder for extra Christmas gifts to give to friends. I happened to see that the product was MADE IN CHINA. No way am I giving potentially melamine tainted cocoa dairy product to people I love. Everyone should check all food gifts you or your family receive. If it's made in China toss it. Not worth having kidney failure from melamine.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisChristmas gift reminder -- I bought a few cute Christmas tins of powdered cocoa (at K-Mart) to give to friends. I was surprised when I was wrapping the gifts that the product was MADE IN CHINA. I thought of the melamine power that is in dairy products in China. No way do I want to give melamine laced cocoa to friends knowing it causes crystals in the kidneys and has killed babies. So everyone remember to double check where Christmas candies, foods, cocoa powder come from ...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWell, I don't think they should be held guilty of murder. I mean, they were acting very irresponsibly, but the probable truth is that they didn't know this could happen. Melamine isn't supposed to have a high level of toxicity. Nonetheless, this shows one of the problems with a country where every important decision is made by some hired shill who gets paid based on impressive figures they can show on charts and graphs. The Chinese government needs to put a higher premium on honor and responsibility. They're letting what they see on paper play too much role in their decision-making. You know, one way they could deal with all the people in their country who are chafing for some democratic institution would be to have them all pick out a bunch of whistle-blowers and watchdogs to help GIVE the central government some kind of idea of what kind of PEOPLE are actually working for them. I mean, I know there are plenty of Chinese mothers who would GLADLY sit on boards while their husbands are out at their day jobs, especially if it might help PREVENT this sort of thing from happening. That could give their people an outlet for their want to play a role in their government. And what do they really have to fear from a bunch of concerned moms?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe article actually does state that tests for protein look at levels of nitrogen in the food.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this"Normally, proteins are the only source of nitrogen in food, so by looking for that element in tests, one can figure out relative protein concentrations. 'Whenever someone looks at nitrogen in food, almost always they are looking at the amount of protein in food,' Lora Sporny, a professor of nutrition education at Columbia University in New York, told ScientificAmerican.com last year."
(quoted from the article)
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Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt is really helpful and so good that they discovered the use of melamine in some milk. And now we are aware about the bad things melamine can give to ourselves. <a href="http://www.peturns.com/wholesale-pet-urns/">pet urns wholesale</a>
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMelamine combines with cyanuric acid and related compounds to form melamine cyanurate and related crystal structures, which have been implicated as contaminants or biomarkers in Chinese protein adulterations
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this<a href="http://www.biblehealth.com/acute-renal-failure/acute-renal-failure-and-its-stages-an-overview.html">Acute renal failure</a>
http://www.biblehealth.com/acute-renal-failure/acute-renal-failure-and-its-stages-an-overview.html
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhat is the root cause of these medical problems is the introduction of the protein based component in the food materials. The melamine is not suitable for the body health and it is generally discarded in some countries. The Chinese are using as the major ingredients for the melamine in the food items. It must be avoided.
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