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Melamine Poisioning Symptoms

Melamine is a substance used to make many things, and is fire and heat resistant in resin form. The powdery substance is high in nitrogen, which allows it to fool protein tests in food. In China, it was added to watered down milk in 2007. It has been found in infant formulas, and other food products that used the contaminated milk. Melamine was also found in pet food from China that killed many domestic cats and dogs. Most health effects of melamine were studied in animals, but the World Health Organization believes that similar results would occur in humans.

  1. Kidney Stones

    • Melamine powder often includes cyanuric acid, which creates melamine cyanurate. Scientists do not know whether this acid is added to the powder, or whether it is a byproduct, but it was present in the poisoning incidents associated with China. The melamine is recognized by the body as unwanted, and so passes to the kidneys without breaking down. It often creates kidney stones. Symptoms associated with kidney stones include pain during urination, because the body is attempting to pass the stone. Also, there may be blood in the urine, a fever associated with no apparent sickness, and high blood pressure. Infants who had melamine poisoning from contaminated formula showed signs of small kidney stones being passed.

    Kidney Failure

    • While the body attempts to pass the melamine cyanurate through the kidneys, the lattice structure could block the tubes leading out of the kidneys. This can make urination impossible, which will become a poison in the body if it is not eliminated. It can result in kidney failure. Symptoms include nausea and vomiting, the inability to urinate, and serious back pain. It also can cause headaches, swelling of the abdomen, and drowsiness or lethargy.

    Cancer

    • There was a study done on mice to test the carcinogenic possibilities of melamine poisoning on humans. The mice did show some correlation between melamine and bladder cancer, but they were fed high doses of the substance that would be unlikely to show up in humans. More studies will need to be done to provide more information on the subject, but as of 2010, there is little evidence to suggest that humans are at risk for cancer due to melamine poisoning.

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