Melamine is a chemical that is used in making many products that we use everyday, including plates, bowls, dishes, etc., cleaning products, fertilizer, paint, plywood, plastics, and adhesives.
Unfortunately, melamine was also recently found in raw milk and baby formula in China, where 60,000 infants got sick and four died. And it wasn't an accidental contamination. Instead, it is thought that the melamine was was added to the milk to make it appear that it had more protein than it really did. This melamine contaminated milk was then used to make baby formula.
Melamine has also been found in other food related products in China, including eggs, chicken feed, and wheat gluten. Melamine tainted pet food was also responsible for sickening and killing thousands of cats and dogs in 2007.
Melamine in the United States
Although the FDA continues to report that the food supply and baby formula in the United States is safe, they have found extremely low levels of melamine in one sample of baby formula.
According to an article in the New York Times on Our Home-Grown Melamine Problem, 'Given the pervasiveness of melamine, it's always possible that trace elements will end up in food.'
Hopefully now that everyone nows the devastating effects that melamine can have when it does get in our food, the FDA, in addition to preventing melamine contamination of food, will continue to take strong action to make sure that any contaminated food doesn't reach our families.
