What exactly is Melamine?
What exactly is melamine?
Melamine is an organic compound that is often combined with formaldehyde to produce melamine resin, a synthetic polymer which is fire resistant and heat tolerant. Melamine resin is a very versatile material with a highly stable structure. Uses for melamine include whiteboards, floor tiles, kitchenware, fire retardant fabrics, and commercial filters. Melamine can be easily molded while warm, but will set into a fixed form. This property makes it ideally suited to certain industrial applications.
Its most common form, melamine resin, a mix of melamine and formaldehyde, is used in the manufacture of formica, floor tiles, whiteboards and kitchenware.
Melamine resin is manufactured by mixing urea with formaldehyde under heat and pressure. The substances begin to polymerize and are forced into a mold which will create the desired shape. Under pressure, melamine releases water, which could make the plastic unstable if it is not removed. The materials finish polymerizing and create a finished product, melamine resin.
-- Melamine is a white powder used in plastic-making. It was first synthesised by a German scientist in the 1830s.
WHY ADD MELAMINE TO MILK POWDER?
-- Melamine is rich in nitrogen, and relatively cheap. Adding it to sub-standard or watered-down milk makes the milk's protein level appear higher. Standard quality tests estimate protein levels by measuring nitrogen content.
IS THIS WHY IT WAS ADDED TO PET FOOD?
-- Yes. Melamine was linked to the deaths of cats and dogs in the United States last year after it was added to wheat gluten and other pet food ingredients exported from China, in another attempt to boost the products' apparent protein content.
Now we are finding new foods all over the world that have melamine.
Melamine resin is known as a thermoset plastic, because the plastic is fixed after molding. If exposed to enough heat, melamine will melt. For this reason, melamine dishware should not be exposed to high temperatures like those in the oven and microwave. However, the plastic is able to withstand higher temperatures than other plastics. Because it is a thermoset plastic, melamine resin is difficult to recycle.
Melamine can be made into a foam product. Melamine foam has a distinctive structure composed of stacked bubble shapes, which are extremely hard and therefore can easily clean a wide variety of substances. Melamine foam is marketed under a variety of commercial names including Magic Eraser, a cleaning tool well known for removing scuffs and dirt from a wide range of surfaces.
Melamine resin is used in Formica and similar construction products made from composite materials. Formica is made using melamine resin, which is used to coat the fibers in the upper layer of the construction product. The melamine resin makes the end result heat resistant, so that hot objects can be set on the counter without concern. The surface of the material is designed to be easily wiped and cleaned, creating a long lived household product.
Melamine also plays a role in a wide range of flame resistant materials. These include textiles used in upholstery and the uniforms worn by firemen. Thermal liners, heat resistant gloves, and aprons to protect from splashback of hot substances are made using melamine. Melamine will protect a wearer from heat hazards, and will help to resist the spread of fire in aircraft and buses by providing a fire blocker.
Melamine is also used in the manufacture of some filters. The material is porous and will admit substances to pass through, but can be used to filter out particles of a particular size. Melamine filters are capable of handling a high capacity and can be used in hot environments due to the heat resistance of melamine. Melamine filters are also extremely efficient.
Aside from common commercial uses, melamine became a topic of much discussion in early 2007, when veterinary scientists determined it to be the cause of hundreds of pet deaths, because of pet food contamination. Prior to these reports, melamine had been regarded as non-toxic or minimally toxic. However, because of the unexplained presence of melamine in wheat gluten added to mass-produced dog and cat foods, it is the most likely cause. Pet owners report symptoms that are commonly associated with renal failure, which could be explained by the ammonia that may result from the digestion of the melamine.
See: What does melamine do to the body?
Congress questions FDA on safety of BPA in baby bottles and food containers.
Bisphenol A (BPA), the synthetic hormone used in baby bottles, toddler cups, water bottle and other recipients, has been a subject of controversy since “forever” or at least it seems so with so many scientific reports warning about its negative effects on babies’ health primarily and why not on adults’ health as well.
In August, the Food and Drug Administration issued a report in which it declared bisphenol –A safe at current levels found in baby bottles and canned foods. The report was highly criticized by lawmakers and scientists because it relied mostly on industry-funded studies and contradicted over 100 studies suggesting BPA is harmful.
Bisphenol-A has been under fire since April this year when a report by the National Toxicology Program said there was “some concern” about its risks in infants. Based on tests on animals the government-working group said bisphenol-A could cause changes in behaviour and the brain, and that it might reduce survival and birth weight in fetuses. The NTP’s report noted “some concern” for effects on the brain, prostate gland and on behaviour in fetuses, infants and children, “minimal concern” for reproductive effects in adults who work with bisphenol-A and “negligible concern” for fetal or neonatal death, birth defects, or reduced birth weight and growth in babies born to women exposed to bisphenol-A during pregnancy. The report concluded that “the possibility that BPA may affect human development cannot be dismissed.”
Studies linked higher urinary levels of bisphenol-A to an increased risk of diabetes and heart disease. Higher BPA levels are also associated with abnormal concentrations of three liver enzymes, a team of British and American scientists found, a study published in September in the Journal of the American Medical Association revealed.
Despite so many studies showing that bisphenol-A is harmful, the Food and Drug Administration in August concluded that the chemical is safe. But a panel of scientists. appointed by the agency’s Science Board to review its task force report, called the FDA’s conclusions on bisphenol-A inadequate and recommended that the agency abandon its earlier findings about the safety of the controversial chemical.
The 17-page report will be released today on the FDA Web site.
FDA spokeswoman Judy Leon said “FDA agrees that due to the uncertainties raised in some studies relating to the potential effects of low doses of bisphenol-A that additional research would be valuable.”
The report will be discussed at a meeting of the FDA’s science board Friday, but what exactly it will mean for consumers was not immediately clear.
“The panel was very clear, but we don’t know if the FDA is going to listen. If they do, it could be a couple of years before they do anything. The FDA’s assessment should have been done right the first time. Now it’s going to have to be redone,” said consumer activist Diana Zuckerman, president of the National Research Center for Women & Families.
Is BPA (Bisphenol A) safe?
By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR
WASHINGTON (AP) — BPA — a chemical used in food containers — is so widespread that most people have traces of it in their bodies.
But health officials can’t decide if that’s a problem, or something we all can live with.
Bisphenol A is useful for hardening plastics to make all sorts of consumer products, from CDs to baby bottles. And the canning industry uses it for coatings that prevent leaks and bacterial contamination in metal food containers.
Some scientists are concerned that BPA could be harmful, since it mimics some of the effects of a powerful hormone, estrogen. Infants may be particularly vulnerable because their bodies are developing and cannot eliminate the chemical as quickly.
Earlier this year, the Food and Drug Administration issued a scientific assessment that BPA is safe and asked independent scientists to review its conclusion. That report — made public Tuesday — found that the FDA's science was badly flawed. The FDA did not consider all the evidence and its margin of safety for human exposure to BPA could be off by a factor of ten times or more, the outside scientists said.
While the experts sort out the issue, what are the options for worried consumers? Here are some questions and answers:
Q: It sounds like BPA is everywhere, how can people avoid it?
A: "Get to know your plastics," says Urvashi Rangan, a senior scientist with Consumers Union, which publishes Consumer Reports. Avoid polycarbonate plastic containers, those imprinted with the recycling number "7" and the letters "PC." Don't microwave foods in these containers. Don't use polycarbonate plastic baby bottles. Consider powdered infant formula instead of liquid formula in cans. Cut down on canned foods.
"If you the consumer want to take matters into your own hands while the science is being sorted out here, those are the things you can do that will directly reduce your level of exposure to BPA," said Rangan.
One thing mothers should not do is stop giving their infants proper nutrition because of fears about BPA, says acting Surgeon General Steven Galson. "While the best source of nutrition for babies is the mother's breast milk, infant formula remains the recommended alternative when breast milk is not an option," he said.
Q: Wait a minute, aren't some people overreacting here? Has anybody died from BPA?
A: No direct cause-and-effect relationship has been established to show that exposure to small amounts of BPA harms people.
But many scientific studies have raised that possibility, and some government scientists believe it should not be dismissed lightly. Chemical exposures that cause harm over a long time are hard to detect.
The National Toxicology Program conducted its own BPA assessment earlier this year, and differed with the FDA. The toxicology program found "some concern" for BPA effects on the brain, behavior and prostate gland in fetuses, infants and children at current exposure levels. "Some concern" is right in the middle of the toxicologists' five-level scale for ranking the possible harmful effects of chemicals.
The independent panel that reviewed the FDA's assessment said the agency needs to go back and take a second look at several studies it earlier dismissed.
Q: What's going to happen now?
A: On Friday, the FDA's Science Board will meet to discuss the controversy in public. It was a subcommittee of the Science Board that issued the report criticizing FDA's safety analysis. But FDA officials say it could take two to five years to complete additional research and reach a final conclusion.
If scientific evidence against BPA mounts and U.S. regulators don't act, Congress may try to restrict some uses for the chemical.
"If FDA continues to dismiss independent scientific evaluations of BPA, correcting the issue legislatively is an option," said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., chairwoman of a committee with jurisdiction over the FDA budget.
Q: What would be the downside of just banning BPA altogether?
A: The canning industry thinks there would be unintended consequences. The chemical is used to make epoxy resins that coat and seal the inside of cans. That prevents leaks and keeps bacteria from contaminating the foods inside.
"Although we are looking for alternatives, they are not readily available, and there is no 'drop-in' replacement for these uses," said John Rost, chairman of the North American Metal Packaging Alliance, a trade group. "Quick changes that have not been evaluated could impact the real safety issue: food poisoning."
Short of a ban on all BPA in food containers, Canada has banned it in baby bottles as a precaution.
On the Net:
* Scientific advisers report to the FDA: http://tinyurl.com/5mfmm7
Potential Melamine foods in Malaysia tested and banned
Malaysia Orders Tests on All Imported China Food
Source: Reuters
24/09/2008
Kuala Lumpur, Sept 24 – The Malaysian government ordered safety tests on Wednesday on all food imported from China, even as Beijing sought to assure the world its products are safe.
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Malaysia’s health ministry said it had issued a “level 5″ alert on all Chinese food products coming into the country, which means they would be held and tested for safety before being released to the market.
Beijing is battling public alarm and international dismay after close to 13,000 Chinese children crowded hospitals, ill from infant milk formula tainted with melamine, a cheap industrial chemical that can be used to cheat quality checks.
Nitrogen-rich melamine can be added to watered-down milk to fool quality checks, which often use nitrogen levels to measure the amount of protein in milk. The chemical is used in making plastics.
On Wednesday, Australia, Indonesia and the tiny Himalayan country of Bhutan joined the growing list of countries warning about the consumption of China-made milk products or pulling them off the shelves of stores and supermarkets.
Indonesia has temporarily banned imports of dairy products from China, and the Indonesian Food and Drugs Supervisory Agency has instructed all regional offices to pull out Chinese dairy products from stores for investigation.
"We don't want to take any risks, so we will still take safety measures," the head of the Food and Drugs Supervisory Agency, Husniah Rubiana Thamrin, told reporters.
Thamrin said the agency was also raiding stores for products such as yoghurt, ice creams and milk drinks from China, and would punish people who violated the ban.
Bhutan's Agriculture and Food Regulatory Authority asked shops to stop selling all Chinese milk products as a "precautionary measure".
"The ban will be on until BAFRA investigates all milk-based food products from China, including laboratory analysis," a government statement said on Wednesday.
Australia on Wednesday issued fresh warnings for China and nearby nations in the wake of the scandal, advising its citizens overseas to avoid all Chinese-made milk products, unless companies have confirmed their goods are free from contamination.
The country has not received any dairy imports from China since April 2007.
Countries that have banned or recalled Chinese milk products include Japan, Brunei, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Melamine and banned Sudan Red 1 dye found in eggs in China.
HONG KONG — The discovery of excessive levels of the industrial chemical melamine in Chinese eggs has prompted the Hong Kong authorities to expand health tests to include meat products imported from China, a senior official said Sunday.
The move follows the announcement late Saturday that Hong Kong testers had found 4.7 parts per million of melamine in imported eggs produced by a division of China’s Dalian Hanwei Enterprise Group. The legal limit for melamine in foodstuffs in Hong Kong is 2.5 ppm.
Hong Kong Secretary for Food and Health York Chow said the melamine may have come from feed given to the chickens that laid the eggs. “The preliminary opinion experts have given us is that there is a problem with the [chicken] feed,” Mr. Chow told reporters Saturday. The egg results have prompted officials to expand food testing to meat imports from China, Mr. Chow told reporters Sunday.Calls to Dalian Hanwei Enterprise Group, based in the northeastern port city Dalian, went unanswered Sunday.
In an earlier egg-related food safety scare in Hong Kong and China the banned cancer-causing industrial dye, Sudan Red, was used to color egg yolks.
China is caught in a food safety scandal over dairy products tainted with melamine. More than 3,600 children remain sick in China from contaminated milk, with three in serious condition, the Ministry of Health said last week. The deaths of four infants have been blamed on dairy products contaminated with melamine.
Authorities say middlemen apparently added melamine to milk they collected from farmers to sell to large dairy companies. The suppliers are accused of watering down the milk and then adding the nitrogen-rich chemical to make the milk seem higher in protein when tested.
Melamine is used in the manufacturing of plastics, fertilizer, paint and adhesives. Health experts say ingesting a small amount poses no danger, but in larger doses, the chemical can cause kidney stones and lead to kidney failure. Infants are particularly vulnerable.
The Hong Kong government also said it found excessive amounts of melamine in Blueberry Cream Sandwich crackers made by Philippine company Croley Foods MFG. Corp.
Copyright © 2008 Associated Press
Sudan 1 Red Dye Banned
Sudan 1 is a red dye used for coloring solvents, oils and waxes. It has long been classified as a carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and is therefore not permitted in food. Back in May 2003, after the French authorities found products containing Sudan red 1 in imports of hot chilli products, the EU’s Rapid Alert System for Food.
What kind of foods have Sudan 1 Red Dye? This is a double whammy since it involves melamine and red dye 1.
Sudan Red 1 and Food
Sudan Red 1 is an industrial red dye that is used for colouring solvents, oils, waxes, petrol and shoe and floor polishes. It has been banned as a food colourant throughout the EU since 2003, due to its carcinogenic properties. However despite this, it has been used by some companies to manufacture chilli powder.
In the case of the affected products in Ireland - they had originated from a British company, Premier Foods (UK), which had used chilli powder contaminated with the dye in the manufacture of Worcester sauce. That chilli powder meanwhile had been imported from India. Because Premier Foods (UK) supplies to various branded products and manufacturers of other products, such as ready meals and soups, the dye eventually made its way into a number of products from well-known brands here, including Pot Noodle, Tesco, Bird’s Eye, Marks and Spencer and Iceland.
In January 2004, the FSAI issued an alert about a variety of spice products produced by a UK company, TRS Wholesale Company Ltd. The products were found to contain Sudan Red 1. In July, a similar alert was issued about a chilli product, which had been distributed by another company, Petty Wood and Company Ltd. Wholesale Company UK. In August, a second alert was issued about this particular product after the FSAI learned that more batches had been affected than had originally been thought.
The FSAI mainly issues two types of alert, category 1 and category 2. Category 2 is 'for information'. It does not detail or indeed require any action to be taken. Category 1 however means that action is required, because there has been an identified risk to consumers. In all of the cases of Sudan Red 1 mentioned, the alerts were category 1.
However the FSAI emphasises that while it is totally unacceptable for this dye to be used in foods, the risk is small.
"While the colourant has been found to have carcinogenic properties, it would have to be consumed over a long period of time in order to pose a significant health risk", said Dr John O'Brien, chief executive of the FSAI.
In fact even if you have eaten an affected product, the authority insists that there is 'no risk of immediate illness'. "If you have eaten these products, the risk is likely to be very small and not eating them any more is a sensible thing to do."
There are stringent regulations in place in relation to foods that pose a health risk. European legislation places a legal obligation on food businesses to not only have recall and traceability systems in place, but to provide information to consumers on recalls and to recall products from them when there are identified health risks.
But what about Sudan Red 1 specifically? According to the FSAI, all dried and crushed or ground chilli coming into any EU member state must be accompanied by a certificate, which shows that the food has been tested and found to be free of Sudan Red 1. Any consignment that does not have such a certificate is detained for sampling and analysis. Random sampling is also undertaken at ports and by local authorities.
Any consignment that is found to contain Sudan Red 1 has to be destroyed.
However despite these stringent rules, the colourant still made its way into the Irish food chain and unfortunately nobody can guarantee that this won’t happen again. However the FSAI insists that this particular recall was a 'rare situation' and was dealt with 'as fast as possible'.
Russia and Vietnam find melamine in foods from China
HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Vietnam’s health ministry has discovered the industrial chemical melamine in 18 food products imported from China and three other countries and has ordered them recalled and destroyed, officials said Friday.
Chinese food safety personnel check the fresh milk at a milk collection station in Chengdu, China.
Chinese food safety personnel check the fresh milk at a milk collection station in Chengdu, China.
Russian news agencies reported that food inspectors found nearly two tons of Chinese dry milk believed to be contaminated with melamine. And Philippines health officials found melamine in two of 30 milk products from China tested for the chemical.
Australian food regulators recalled China-made Kirin Milk Tea after tests found the drink contained melamine. It is the fourth product withdrawn from the country's stores in the wake of China's tainted milk scandal.
Milk containing melamine has been blamed for killing four babies and sickening more than 54,000 with kidney stones and other illnesses in China. The contamination has sparked global concerns about food products made with Chinese milk or milk powder and recalls in several countries of Chinese-made products.
Chinese authorities believe suppliers trying to boost output diluted their milk, adding melamine because its nitrogen content can fool tests aimed at verifying protein content.
The tainted food has also spread to the U.S. where melamine has been found in Chinese-made White Rabbit Creamy Candy sold in California and Connecticut.
The Food and Drug Administration said Friday that trace amounts of melamine are safe in most foods, except for baby formula. A safety assessment by the agency concluded that 2.5 parts per million -- a tiny amount -- does not raise concerns. A week ago, the FDA warned consumers not to consume White Rabbit Candy and Mr. Brown coffee products because of possible melamine contamination
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Recent tests in Vietnam found melamine in dairy products and crackers imported from China, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, according to the Ministry of Health's Web site. It did not list all the brand names that tested positive for melamine, but among them were five different varieties of Yili milk, one of the brands found to be contaminated in China.
"We will intensify our inspections for melamine contamination to ensure the safety of consumers," said Nguyen Thi Khanh Tram, vice director of Vietnam's food safety administration.
Most of the contaminated items were milk and dairy products from China, the ministry said.
However, they also included crackers imported from Malaysia and Indonesia as well as a powdered dairy creamer imported from Thailand. It was not clear whether those products had been produced in those countries or simply shipped to Vietnam from warehouses there.
Even before the test results were announced, retailers across Vietnam had begun removing tons of Chinese dairy products from their shelves and importers have been destroying them, Vietnamese media reported.
Vietnamese authorities have also said they will require all milk products to be tested before they can be imported.
Philippine Health Secretary Francisco Duque III identified the two tainted brands Friday as Mengniu and Yili, which have already been found to be contaminated in tests in China.
Duque said 28 other products, including M&M chocolate candies, powdered milk and yogurt have been cleared for sale and 200 more were being tested. Additional results may be released early next week.
The Philippine government halted imports and sales of Chinese milk products pending inspections last week.
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Russia's ITAR-Tass quoted Russia's chief epidemiologist Gennady Onishchenko as saying that 2 tons of dry milk was seized in the Far Eastern city of Khabarovsk, on the Chinese border.
Consumer watchdog Rospotrebnadzor on Tuesday banned all imports of Chinese dairy produce
Sudan 1 Red Dye Banned in Foods in 2005, China Eggs found with dye
Sudan 1 is a red dye used for coloring solvents, oils and waxes. It has long been classified as a carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and is therefore not permitted in food. Back in May 2003, after the French authorities found products containing Sudan red 1 in imports of hot chilli products, the EU’s Rapid Alert System for Food.
What kind of foods have Sudan 1 Red Dye? This is a double whammy since it involves melamine and red
HONG KONG -- The discovery of excessive levels of the industrial chemical melamine in Chinese eggs has prompted the Hong Kong authorities to expand health tests to include meat products imported from China, a senior official said Sunday.
The move follows the announcement late Saturday that Hong Kong testers had found 4.7 parts per million of melamine in imported eggs produced by a division of China's Dalian Hanwei Enterprise Group. The legal limit for melamine in foodstuffs in Hong Kong is 2.5 ppm.
Hong Kong Secretary for Food and Health York Chow said the melamine may have come from feed given to the chickens that laid the eggs. "The preliminary opinion experts have given us is that there is a problem with the [chicken] feed," Mr. Chow told reporters Saturday. The egg results have prompted officials to expand food testing to meat imports from China, Mr. Chow told reporters Sunday.Calls to Dalian Hanwei Enterprise Group, based in the northeastern port city Dalian, went unanswered Sunday.
In an earlier egg-related food safety scare in Hong Kong and China the banned cancer-causing industrial dye, Sudan Red, was used to color egg yolks.
China is caught in a food safety scandal over dairy products tainted with melamine. More than 3,600 children remain sick in China from contaminated milk, with three in serious condition, the Ministry of Health said last week. The deaths of four infants have been blamed on dairy products contaminated with melamine.
Authorities say middlemen apparently added melamine to milk they collected from farmers to sell to large dairy companies. The suppliers are accused of watering down the milk and then adding the nitrogen-rich chemical to make the milk seem higher in protein when tested.
Melamine is used in the manufacturing of plastics, fertilizer, paint and adhesives. Health experts say ingesting a small amount poses no danger, but in larger doses, the chemical can cause kidney stones and lead to kidney failure. Infants are particularly vulnerable.
The Hong Kong government also said it found excessive amounts of melamine in Blueberry Cream Sandwich crackers made by Philippine company Croley Foods MFG. Corp.
Copyright © 2008 Associated Press
Melamine Banned Foods List
Melamine is a dangerous item that has been used as a filler or additive to up the protein content of food items.
This crisis is spreading almost daily and was the reason we started this website.
We will be tracking this and keeping our list updated daily.
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