What is melamine?

Twice Chinese food and drugs have been found to contain melamine. First imported pet food containing melamine caused fatal renal failure in several thousand dogs and cats in the United States,

then baby formula containing melamine sickened over 53,000 Chinese infants and killed at least four. What is melamine, why is it in food made in China, and how can you protect yourself from it?

What is melamine?

Melamine is a versatile and common chemical used to create plastics, concrete, ink colorants, and fertilizer. Melamine is also useful in synthesizing medicine for African trypanosomiasis, or sleeping sickness, and was formerly used as a nitrogen supplement to dairy cows' diets. In these forms it is harmless, even beneficial.

On its own, melamine is essentially nontoxic. It is not a valuable additive to the human diet, but does not cause any harm. However, when combined with cyanuric acid—another essentially nontoxic food adulterant—melamine causes crystals to form in the urine, creating kidney stones that can lead to renal failure and death.

Why is it in food made in China?

Middlemen in the Chinese food industry are under pressure to produce enough food for an expanding market while keeping prices low. To stretch their food supply, unscrupulous middlement water down or thin out the food, then pour in additives to increase the apparent protein content of the food to acceptable levels. (The tests of protein content measure nitrogen levels, not protein.) One popular additive is melamine. Another, tragically, is cyanuric acid.

So far, Chinese-manufactured dairy products, wheat flour, wheat gluten, and rice protein have been found to contain melamine and cyanuric acid. Because both additives are common adulterants, it is unknown how many other Chinese-manufactured foods contain both melamine and cyanuric acid.

What are the symptoms of melamine poisoning?

Kidney stones are the sole symptom of melamine poisoning. The body can pass small kidney stones without difficulty, but large stones can become caught in the urinary tract. This causes severe pain, cramping, and difficulty in urinating. There may be blood in the urine, and the person may feel a burning sensation when they urinate. The person may also feel general symptoms of unwellness: nausea, vomiting, fever, and chills.

If you have any of these symptoms, go to the doctor immediately! Kidney stones are relatively easy to treat, but they can lead to dangerous, even life-threatening, urinary tract infections and can damage or destroy the kidney.

How can I avoid ingesting melamine?

Throw out any food you own that was made in China before September 2008, and consider avoiding all Chinese food products until your country's board of food purity certifies Chinese imports as safe. The Chinese government claims that food purity controls are being tightened, but repeated incidents with a variety of food adulterants--and coverups by the Chinese government--suggest that the Chinese food supply currently cannot be trusted.

What should I do if I think I've ingested melamine?

Stop eating any foods that you suspect to be adulterated. If you believe you have been exposed for an extended period of time (say, several weeks), go to your doctor to be tested for kidney stones. If your exposure was shorter, don't worry! It takes several weeks, and sometimes as long as six months, for melamine-induced kidney stones to develop, so shorter exposure should not be a problem. Drink lots of water to flush the melamine from your system, and rest easy.