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Action: Support Ban on Chinese Food Imports

By Alexa

Tip of the sombrera to Asinus Asinum Fricat at Daily Kos for alerting us to the European ban on food products from China.

It started as thus: all the sick babies were fed a formula produced by the San Lu group, which is based at Shijiazhuang in Hebei, the province surrounding Beijing. Melamine appears to have been added to milk by suppliers of San Lu to compensate for loss of protein from the watering down of milk to increase volumes. It is not clear from reports who did the watering, whether farmers or the dealers who collected it for the dairy company. The scandal is intensified by the fact that San Lu received calls about sick babies in March, although it says tests at that time showed there were no quality issues. On July 16 the government of Gansu told the Ministry of Health about an unusual upsurge of kidney stones among infants who had all drunk the same brand of milk. One would think, at this juncture, that there's something afoot. On August 2 San Lu's management told its board of directors about the melamine contamination. The board contacted authorities and a trade recall began on August 6, but a public recall started only last week, on September 11.

Amigos, I had a kidney stone once and have never, ever experienced any pain remotely comparable. That babies have experienced this agony (I'm not exaggerating; you literally can't get a reprieve from excruciating pain once a kidney stone has moved into obstruction point) is horrifying and outrageous. The very thought of an innocent, hungry child being subjected to such cruelty and death enrages me. And what of the parents who've lost their little ones to China's criminal negligence?

The melamine levels in milk in just one province have been found to be 24 times the legal limit for cookies in China.

What is melamine? (World Health Organization)
Melamine is an organic base chemical most commonly found in the form of white crystals rich in nitrogen.

What is melamine generally used for?
Melamine is widely used in plastics, adhesives, countertops, dishware, whiteboards.

Why was melamine added into milk and powdered infant formula?
In China, where adulteration has occurred, water has been added to raw milk to increase its volume. As a result of this dilution the milk has a lower protein concentration. Companies using the milk for further production (e.g. of powdered infant formula) normally check the protein level through a test measuring nitrogen content. The addition of melamine increases the nitrogen content of the milk and therefore its apparent protein content.

Addition of melamine into food is not approved by the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius (food standard commission), or by any national authorities.

Has melamine been found in other food products?
In 2007, melamine was found in wheat gluten and rice protein concentrate exported from China and used in the manufacture of pet food in the United States. This caused the death of a large number of dogs and cats due to kidney failure.

In the present event, melamine contamination has been found in a number of different brands of powdered infant formula, in one brand of a frozen yogurt dessert and in one brand of canned coffee drink. All these products were most probably manufactured using ingredients made from melamine-contaminated milk.

What are the health effects of melamine consumptions in humans?
While there are no direct human studies on the effect of melamine data from animal studies can be used to predict adverse health effects.

Melamine alone causes bladder stones in animal tests. When combined with cyanuric acid, which may also be present in melamine powder, melamine can form crystals that can give rise to kidney stones.

These small crystals can also block the small tubes in the kidney potentially stopping the production of urine, causing kidney failure and, in some cases, death. Melamine has also been shown to have carcinogenic effects in animals in certain circumstances, but there is insufficient evidence to make a judgment on carcinogenic risk in humans.

What are the symptoms and signs of melamine poisoning?
Irritability, blood in urine, little or no urine, signs of kidney infection, high blood pressure.

What is the treatment for kidney stones and kidney failure?
Patients may receive various types of treatment, depending on the severity of the kidney effects. Treatment may include infusion of fluids and urine alkalinisation, correction of electrolyte and acid-base disturbance, haemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis, or surgical removal of kidney stones.

The United States is China's biggest partner in trade. Although Nestle denies that their coffee and tea products might be contaminated with melamine, it's very difficult to get an accurate sense of exactly where the melamine may be, because Chinese food safety officials have been less than forthcoming about distribution.

Just now, I see that Vancouver, B.C. also supports the ban of food products from China.

The scope of the contaminated Chinese infant formula scandal has widened to include milk-derived ingredients. Some of these ingredients may have entered the United States for use in processed foods. Please ask the Food and Drug Administration to stop the import of dairy ingredients from China until this situation is under control.

While the U.S. doesn't import fluid milk or infant formula from China, we do import milk-derived ingredients that are used in many processed foods such as cookies and chocolates. According to USDA figures, this year the U.S. has imported two million pounds of casein and other powdered milk proteins from China.  This includes 293,000 pounds that were imported in July, when some Chinese authorities were aware of the melamine contamination yet failed to act.

In order to protect their citizens, dozens of nations around the world are banning all dairy products from China. Please ask FDA Commissioner von Eschenbach to take similar proactive measures to protect American consumers.

Please read this very informative posting by Asinus Asinum Fricat in full.

Full post as published by Never In Our Names on September 27, 2008 (boomark / email).