Melamine is a chemical that is found in several everyday products, such as Formica countertops, dry erase boards, and flame retardants. Melamine foam is the main ingredient in the popular cleaning product the Magic Sponge, sold under the Mr. Clean brand name. The chemical is relatively harmless in these uses, but recently there have been several instances where melamine was found in both infant formula and pet food.
Melamine in U.S. Infant Formula
On November 26, 2008, the Associated Press released an article stating that the Food and Drug Administration had found trace levels of melamine in some U.S. infant formula ["Calls for National Infant Formula Recall Spread," Martha Mendoza and Justin Pritchard, November 26,2008] from Abbott Laboratories, Nestle and Mead Johnson. Currently the FDA has not issued any recalls, and it has not advised parents to stop feeding their babies formula.
Nestle manufactures Good Start Supreme Infant Formula with Iron, which had positive tests for melamine. Mead Johnson's product, Enfamil LIPIL with Iron, tested positive for a substance similar to melamine, called cyanuric acid. Abbot Laboratories performed its own tests in-house, and found even smaller levels of melamine in their Similac formula. Over 90% of the nation's infant formula is produced by these companies, according to the AP's article.
No injuries or illnesses has been reported yet. Ingested by humans, melamine causes urinary tract issues, such as kidney stones, and possibly even kidney damage. The FDA hasn't stated an acceptable range of safe melamine consumption.
There are many ways that melamine can show up in food. Melamine can be used in cleaning products that are used on equipment processing formula. Or it can be used in packaging products. Currently it is unknown how the melamine got into the formula.
Chinese Baby Formula
In July 2008, there was global outrage as melamine was found in Chinese infant formula. Over 54,000 babies were made sick by ingesting the tainted formula, and four infants have died. The melamine was added to milk, which was later made into infant formula. Adding melamine makes the milk look like it has a higher protein content. Since milk is used in numerous products, foods other than infant formula were also recalled.
The milk scandal has even helped cause the FDA to open three offices in China ["FDA to open China offices after product scares," Associated Press, November 17, 2008]. The FDA currently has no other offices outside the United States. The opening of these offices is also due to other issues with Chinese products, such as lead found in children's toys.
Pet Food Recall
2007 saw a pet food recall after melamine was found in several brands. The melamine was traced to Chinese wheat and rice exports. Although the number of deaths varies by source, some list the number as over 4,700. The affected food caused kidney failure in the animals. Much of the food was traced to Menu Foods, a company in Canada that produces food under dozens of different brand names.
It is alarming to see that such a potentially hazardous substance has found its way into pet and human foods. People in the U.S. are advised not to buy Chinese formula, due to the large amounts of melamine it contains. However, the amounts found in U.S. baby formula are so minute that the FDA hasn't changed its recommendations about feeding it to infants.
Allison Russo - Allison Russo holds a B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Computer Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Most recently she ...
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