|  | Family Health | Childrens Health

What Is Bad About Melamine Dishes?

Melamine is a chemical that, when mixed with formaldehyde, creates something called melamine resin. This resin is a very strong synthetic material that is fire- and heat-resistant and is used in many items, from floor tiles, to fabrics, to dishware. Lately, some people have called into question the safety of melamine dishware, especially for children. Before using such dishware, there are some things about melamine you should know.

  1. Considerations

    • “Chemical leaching” is the term given to what happens when certain chemicals in a container–in this case, melamine--seep into the food being contained. The World Health Organization and the FDA state that trace amounts of melamine are permissible for human consumption. But if more than a trace of melamine leaches from the container into the food, it has the potential to cause serious respiratory and digestion problems and may be harmful to the kidneys.

    Expert Insight

    • In July 2010, the international food safety commission called the Codex Alimentarius Commission set a limit to the amount of melamine that was acceptable in food and infant formula. It set limits for baby formula at 1mg of melamine per 2.2 pounds of powdered formula and 2.5 mg per 2.2 pounds of other food.

    Care

    • If you have melamine dishware, there are a few things you can do to prevent chemical leaching from occurring. First, wash all melamine products by hand as opposed to cleaning them in a dishwasher. Second, don’t microwave melamine dishes or use them to boil water. Heating of melamine substances increases the chances of chemical leaching.

    Significance

    • The word “melamine” has been in the news a lot in the last few years, thanks in part to an incident in China where milk was purposely tainted with the chemical to make it look like it contained more protein than it really did. Several children died from exposure to melamine and some 300,000 were made ill by it. The Chinese government eventually executed two people who were believed to have played a role in the scandal.

    Bottom Line

    • According to the FDA, the chances of melamine leaching from dishware plates into people is very low and the health risk is so low that melamine dishware is considered “suitable for public safety.” For people with children who want to be extra careful, it might not hurt to use products that are melamine-free or at least take precautions to make sure that the melamine product is not heated.

Childrens Health - Related Articles