Nov

29

FDA Updates Melamine Investigation

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    The news swirling around Melamine in US Baby Formula has ceraintly caused an uproar.  Is there? Isn’t there? Some say yes, some claim no.  Either way the FDA has updated their statement on safe levels of melamine content.  From their website:

    November 28, 2008: FDA’s ongoing investigation continues to show that the domestic supply of infant formula is safe and that consumers can continue using U.S. manufactured infant formulas. FDA has concluded that levels of melamine alone or cyanuric acid alone, at or below 1 part per million (ppm) in infant formula do not raise public health concerns. …

    The FDA has been collecting and analyzing samples of domestically manufactured infant formula for the presence of melamine and melamine-related compounds. To date, FDA tests have found extremely low levels of melamine in one infant formula sample and extremely low levels of cyanuric acid in another. The levels were so low (well below 1 ppm) that they do not pose a health risk to infants

    The FDA also advises parents to not stop feeding their children formula:

    Parents using infant formula should continue using U.S. manufactured infant formula. Switching away from using one of these infant formulas to alternate diets or home-made formulas could result in infants not receiving the complete nutrition required for proper growth and development.

    The FDA is publishing the test results (or at least they are working on it) here where it looks like some are turning up negative for melamine content.

    Keep up with the FDA and their position on testing for melamine and the results on their website.

    Nov

    27

    US Formula Makers Say Products are Melamine Free

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      Well this is weird… first the FDA says they found trace amounts of melamine in their tests of 77 US formula samples including those from Mead Johnson, the makers of Enfamil.  But now they say “The FDA has confirmed with Mead Johnson that melamine was not found in any of our products they tested”.  Hmm.  People panicked over the FDA’s claims to traces of melamine in leading brands but in an effort to squelch consumer worries companies are saying their in-house testing finds no traces at all.

      Companies coming forward claiming their own testing shows no melamine content:

      • Hain Celestial Group Inc – Earth’s Best Organic Formula
      • Privately held PBM Nutritionals (store brand formulas)

      Abbott Nutrition, Nestle uSA, and Solus Products were not reached for comment on the FDA’s findings reported yesterday. The FDA said the low level of melamine (and melamine byproducts) posed no risk, but reports of the finding caused alarm among parents. None of this is sitting well with us.  We’ll keep up with the news in the meantime…

      Source: Reuters

      Learn More: What is Melamine – A Crash Course

      Nov

      26

      Melamine Found in US Baby Formula

      Filed Under Green Mama, melamine, Product Safety | Comments Off

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        Oh boy.  Well, I’ve have had my head firmly up my butt this week with Thanksgiving around the corner but apparently there is good reason to pull it out.  News reports swirled yesterday and today regarding Melamine detection in US made baby formula.  Since the news that melamine was found in baby formula in China, the US Government (FDA) began quietly testing US brands of baby formula for melamine.

        In China, melamine was being intentionally dumped into watered-down milk to trick food quality tests into showing higher protein levels.  In this case, the melamine detected was probably not intentional but the result of food packaging or the process plants.  The levels that were found in China’s formula were around 2,500 parts per million.  In the tests done in the US the results were between 0.137ppm – .247ppm.

        The FDA tested 77 infant formula samples and found trace amounts of melamine in the following baby formulas:

        • Mead Johnsons Enfamil LIPIL with Iron: 2 tests read 0.137ppm and 0.14ppm
        • Nestle’s Good Start Supreme Infant Formula with Iron: 3 tests with an average of 0.247ppm

        The FDA did tests on Abbott Laboratories brands including Similac but none was detected in the 18 samples. However an Abbot spokesman said some in-house tests did find trace amounts though which brands were not specified.

        McBean (Abbott spokesman) did say the detections were at levels far below the health limits set by all countries in the world, including Taiwan, where the limit is 0.05 parts per million.

        “We’re talking about trace amounts right here, and you know there’s a lot of scientific bodies out there that say low levels of melamine are always present in certain types of foods,” said McBean.

        Trace amounts are said to not be enough to cause problems (melamine exposure can cause kidney stones and other problems) in infants at these trace amounts.  However, FDA critics think there should be no safe level of melamine contamination and that any formula with ANY amount of melamine should be recalled immediately.

        Dr. Jerome Paulson, an associate professor of pediatrics at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., said he didn’t think the FDA’s decision was unreasonable. He added, however, that the agency should research the impacts of long-term, low-dose exposure, “and not just assume it’s safe, and then 15 years from now find out that it’s not.”

        Read more: Associated Press: FDA finds traces of melamine in US infant formula

        What Should I Do? These are trace amounts of Melamine detected and the FDA is standing firm that there is no danger involved like the China scare.  FDA scientists conclude there is a very low risk.  But there is that word again… risk.  We encourage our readers to call your formula makers regarding this latest news and find out what their position is on the subject.  Unfortunately, we don’t know for sure what brands are free of any trace melamine contamination.  We only know what the FDA has stated thus far regarding any need to worry: Here is the current stance from the FDA regarding Melamine.

        Currently, the trace amounts detected are below any level of concern according to the FDA, so it is important you not stop feeding your baby formula.  Talk to your pediatrician about changing brands if you really feel it’s necessary and check back with us as the information develops. We’ll keep you as posted as we can!

        Oct

        7

        What is Melamine? A Crash Course

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          Lead is so 2007.  This year it’s all about Melamine.  All the cool kids are worrying about it. First it was found in dog food, then baby formula, then Mr. Brown coffee and now, the FDA is recalling Blue Cat Flavor Drinks.  We’ve gotten a lot of questions about melamine dishware in the past weeks and we’ve been trying to find as much useful information as possible. Here’s what we know.

          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 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.  The materials finish polymerizing and create a finished product, melamine resin.  This resin is what is used in many kitchen items.

          We uncovered (Thanks for finding this Jaime!) a report from the National Toxicology Program that states,

          Melamine resin, a hard thermosetting polymer made from melamine and formaldehyde, is widely used in the US in the form of kitchenware, including plates, bowls, mugs and utensils. Reports in the literature indicate that some kitchenware based on melamine resin leach considerable amounts of melamine monomer. A migration of up to 2.5 mg melamine/ 100 cm2 was observed under conditions that simulate an exposure to hot acidic foods…

          I’m sure with enough digging we’ll find that any migration that occurs is low and “suitable for public safety”, especially if you ask the FDA.  But I am just not comfortable with melamine resin or formaldehyde leaching into my kids food when I take such care to give him something healthy.  The NTP confirms that more research is needed.

          Healthy Child Healthy Word’s Janelle Sorensen found some interesting and disturbing information regarding melamine as well and has changed her position on using it for kids.  Please check out her latest article on Melamine here.  The Soft Landing posted some great info on Melamine yesterday too, read that here.  She brings up another good point: Melamine isn’t recyclable. Boo!

          At SafeMama, we like to sway on the side of safety (even though some of you think we’re just trying to make your life difficult) but we don’t take chances when it comes to kids.  So for now, we don’t feel comfortable recommending Melamine dishware.  If you have some, there are a couple things you can do to limit exposure to chemical leaching:

          • Don’t microwave, boil or otherwise heat melamine dishware or utensils, ever.
          • Hand wash all melamine in warm water with mild soap.
          • Ditch ‘em (or use them for something other than food) and opt for a safer material like bamboo, stainless steel, or BPA-free plastic (same heat rules apply here though, no microwave, hand wash)

          I can hear you screaming at me already… “Are you kidding me?  If its not one thing its another.  Just when I thought I was doing the right thing its the wrong thing.  Maybe I should just move into a CAVE and eat off the ground!“  That wasn’t you?  Oh that’s right, it was me saying it to myself.

          Before you freak out on me: We’ve compiled a new SafeMama Cheat Sheet of Safer Dishware to aide you in choosing dishes for your wee ones!  It’s a new list and it will grow so check back for new additons.

          Oct

          1

          Dear SafeMama: Tylenol and Melamine

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            Is there any product out there that is comparable to Children’s Tylenol that doesn’t contain artificial colors/flavors and high fructose corn syrup, which most likely is genetically modified.  I haven’t been able to find anything that is an all natural form of pain medicine/fever reducer for children. Any help in the right direction would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you!

            Ok, first things first.  Legal Mumbo Jumbo first:

            We are NOT DOCTORS.  Any medical advice should be answered by your highly trained and qualified pediatrician. If your child is sick with a fever, call the doctor.  Do not pass go, do not collect $200.

            I feel your pain sister, I really do.   Once I really took a good hard look at what was in that stuff, you’d have thought it was radioactive.  There is a dye free version, howver it contains aspartame, which in my book is worse.  The other alternative you could look into is dye free Motrin, which contains sucrose, only marginally better.  Again, call your doctor to get their approval before administering any medication.   The short answer to your question is no:  There is no organic or natural version of Tylenol.  If there were, I suspect that the makers of Tylenol would be out of business.  Or at least significantly poorer.

            Hi!  I love your site and the great information it provides!  I’ve been reading a lot about melamine lately, with it showing up in milk in China.  All my kids plates are melamine.  Are they safe?

            We get this question A LOT.   At least twice a day, so I thought I’d address it.  We’ve been told by some companies that melamine is safe, however, extensive research by us, and other parent safety bloggers out there has yielded almost no results as to exactly what melamine is comprised of.  This has been frustrating at best.   And with all of the news about melamine harming children in China, I know that lots of parents are nervous about using dishware of the same material.  Keep in mind, that the melamine that was found in formula was consumed, I doubt your kids are eating their plates, but you’re still concerned, we understand.  So here are some tips:

            1. If you don’t have any melamine in your house, we say to avoid buying it, for now.  I know this is a little tough because a lot of the licensed character dishware is made from melamine.  But there are safer alternatives out there.  Albeit, they are plain, but I’d rather have my kid eat off of plain, safe dishware, than have them eat off of something that we’re unsure of whether or not it’ll harm them.

            2. If you do have melamine plates, and your child HAS to eat off of them (and let’s face it, we all know how stubborn and willful toddlers and young children are sometimes), limit how much they’re eating off of it.   Never EVER microwave melamine dishware (this is standard protocol on all melamine dishes, and is usually stamped right on the bottom).  Always wash melamine by hand with warm soapy water, and never put it in the dishwasher.

            In the meantime, we’re still hoping to find an answer, so keep your other questions coming.

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