The Effects of Melamine

Melamine is the name of a plastic and the chemical from which it is made. It is used in adhesives, laminates, flame-retardants, coatings and dinnerware. Melamine has been using in food and animal feed in order to make the protein content appear higher, an illegal process that has led to health problems in humans and animals.

Common Effects of Melamine

• The International Chemical Safety Card for melamine details the hazards it poses to workers producing melamine products. Melamine is combustible in certain conditions and it produces irritating and toxic fumes when burned. Melamine can form an explosive mixture when fine particles are dispersed in the air. This dust is also the main route of exposure to melamine for workers. The organization also reports that "when ingested in large amounts the substance may have effects on the kidneys and bladder, resulting in stone formation."

Ingestion

• Melamine can be ingested by humans due to food contamination, migration of melamine into the food from packaging or as the result of the pesticide cyromazine breaking down. Melamine can also pass to humans through animals that have eaten contaminated feed.

  A high concentration of melamine in the body can be harmful, resulting in the production of uric acid calculi or stones in the bladder, ureters and kidneys. A 2008 World Health Organization Expert Meeting reported that "melamine produces crystals in urine when its concentration exceeds a threshold." In severe cases, these stones can lead to kidney damage and failure.

  Exposure to a combination of melamine and its analogue cyanuric acid may cause a more serious reaction than melamine alone. Ingestion of the combination caused acute renal failure in pets after just two days. Clinical symptoms were rare in infants exposed only to melamine.

Contamination of Animal Feed

• During the spring of 2007, pet food contaminated with melamine and cyanuric acid was sold across the United States. Consumption of this food led to acute renal failure in cats and dogs. Crystals of uric acid had formed, causing severe damage to the kidneys. Analysis of these crystals confirmed that they contained melamine and cyanuric acid. The contamination had come from Chinese wheat gluten.

Contamination of Infant Formula

• Contaminated infant formula led to the deaths of six Chinese infants and affected approximately 300,000 children in 2008. Problems occurred with the kidneys and urinary tracts. Kidney stones were present in some patients. Melamine had been deliberately added to the formula in order to make the protein content appear higher. Contaminated formula and other milk-based products were exported to 47 countries, including the U.S.