Chemical in Melamine Tableware can Cause Health Problems

There is a possibility that the chemical melamine, found in bowls, plates and other types of tableware could somehow get into our food and cause a range of health problems, recent research has revealed.

"The amount of melamine released into food and beverages from melamine tableware vary by brand, so the results of this study of one brand may not be generalized to other brands," said researchers.

Kidney Failure due to Melamine Toxicity
Adulteration of food with melamine results in the formation of kidney stones and kidney failure, even leading to death.

The chemical is also known to cause kidney and bladder stones in animals and even cancer, according to The World Health Organization.

During the study, participants were randomly assigned to eat soup out of melamine bowls and ceramic bowls for a three week period. Urine samples were collected about 12 hours after they had eaten from these bowls.

The results showed that 8.35 micrograms of the chemical was present in their urine of people who ate out of melamine bowls and 1.31 micrograms of the chemical found after eating from a ceramic bowl.

Packaged Salads, Melamine In Food - Under New Regulation by UN
The issue of food poisoning has been addressed by UN agencies who have imposed restrictions on melamine content in food and stricter guidelines for packaged salads.

"It's a pretty strong link to see high levels after that. It’s reasonable to have some concerns of what exposure could be happening, and the impact it could have on human health," researchers said.

Researchers Develop New Method to Detect Melamine in Milk
University of Miami assistant professor in the College of Engineering, Na Li and her collaborators have developed a fast, economical and easy method to detect melamine in milk.

Source-Medindia

China Firms Found Selling Melamine-tainted Food: State Media Report
According to a state media report on Monday, three Chinese companies have been found selling food products tainted with melamine, the chemical blamed for the deaths of six babies.