Melamine: The most dreaded M word
It’s very much in the news now. It’s on people’s lips these days. Spit it out because it’s melamine, today’s most dreaded M word.
Concerned mothers are crying not over spilt milk but contaminated milk formula made in China. With the melamine scare hovering over their heads, some mothers in Shanghai have resorted to giving their babies coconut milk mixed with water.
In the US, one really angry mom, reacting to an earlier issue involving toxic toys made in China, started waging a war versus China right in her own home by boycotting all things Chinese (which, much to her frustration, she found out to be near-impossible, what with almost everything made in China).
Here at home, adults who grew up with the White Rabbit were shocked to learn that that iconic creamy, taffy-like candy they so loved to eat (they even ate the inner wrapper because it could not be separated from the very sticky candy) was laced with melamine.
Hawaii-based nutritionist Dr. Angel Respicio Jr. tells us everything we would have wanted to know about melamine but didn’t know who to ask:
PHILIPPINE STAR: What exactly is melamine?
DR. JUN RESPICIO: Melamine is a prized plastic because it is lightweight, hard, and resistant to water. It is also used as an ingredient to make other materials better. For example, wrinkle-free clothes are made with fibers that have been coated with melamine which imparts a crease or wrinkle resistance. It is often combined with formaldehyde to produce melamine resin, a synthetic polymer which has fire-retardant properties due to its release of nitrogen gas when burned or charred. It has several other industrial uses. For example, it is used as whiteboard, kitchenware, or floor tiles.
Why is it added to food?
Melamine was never lawfully allowed as a food additive. The chemical nature of melamine is enticing to the greedy, unscrupulous manufacturer who wants to make more profit. Melamine is an organic base and a trimer of cyanamide. It contains 66-percent nitrogen (urea has 47 percent), the vital component that defines the existence of protein. This nitrogen source (non-protein nitrogen, or NPN) can also be used to artificially raise crude protein values, which are measured based on nitrogen content as protein is about 16-percent nitrogen. Due to their lower cost compared to plant and animal proteins, their inclusion in a diet can result in economic gain, but at too high levels cause a depression in growth and possible ammonia toxicity. Microbes in ruminant animal gut convert NPN to ammonia first before using that to make protein. It was the ammonia that caused a lot of pets in the US to get sick.
Remember the 2007 pet feed recall? Popular sources of NPN are chemical feed additive, sometimes chicken waste and cattle manure. In the September 2008 China infant milk formula scandal, melamine may have been added to fool government quality tests after water was added to fraudulently increase the milk’s volume, since melamine will cause a false increase in the measurement of protein by increasing the nitrogen levels in the milk.
Officials estimate that about 20 percent of the dairy companies tested in China sell products tainted with melamine, leading to kidney stones and renal failure, especially among young children. This caught international media attention because of the human lives endangered. By September 22, nearly 53,000 people had become ill, with more than 12,800 hospitalizations and four infant deaths.
What is the toxic level?
According to the US FDA, the tolerable daily intake (TDI) level is 63 mg/kg body weight/day. The TDI is defined as the estimated maximum amount of an agent to which individuals in a population may be exposed daily over their lifetimes without an appreciable health risk. The conservative validation level of melamine is 50 ppb. Of all the non-milk protein sources tested (meat, poultry, and fish), the US FDA assured the public that everything is safe, so far. Melamine in trace amounts is safe, so they say, but when it reacts with cyanuric acid (a metabolite of melamine from bleaches, disinfectants, and herbicides), it can cause fatal kidney stones due to the formation of an insoluble melamine cyanurate. They concentrate and interact in the urine-filled renal microtubules, then crystallize and form large numbers of round, yellow crystals, which in turn block and damage the renal cells that line the tubes, causing the kidneys to malfunction.
Today, what food products/brands have been found to contain melamine?
Here are some countries and their available products,which tested positive for melamine: Australia — White Rabbit candy, Lotte Koala biscuits, various other products; Argentina — White Rabbit; Canada — Nissin Cha Cha dessert mix; European Union — White Rabbit, Lotte Koala biscuits, Ritz crackers; Hong Kong — Nestlé liquid milk, Cadbury dairy milk, Lipton tea powder; Indonesia — Mars, M&Ms, Kraft Foods’ Oreos, and Cadbury dairy milk branded products; Macau — Lipton milk tea powder.
Aside from melamine, are there other harmful substances in food that we should watch out for?
The key is to consume, as much as you can afford, food raised in a clean environment. Of course, that is easier said than done. We should avoid, if we can, highly processed food (think of refined flour, sugar, meats preserved other than with salt or vinegar, artificial color and flavor). Stay away also from the most dreaded oil — the trans fats (margarine, partially hydrogenated oil, vegetable shortening) which attack the blood vessel wall, creating wounds and laying down the foundation for a stroke.
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It’s V-Month!
It’s V-Month — V as in vegetable! Yes, give peas (and other veggies) a chance.
The Nurturers of the Earth, a vegetarian support group that promotes earth-friendly parenting, kicks off World Vegetarian Month with “The Tagala Brothers: Vegetarian Voices and Violins” concert-cum-vegetarian potluck at the TESDA Women’s Center.
“We want people to know that it is possible to flourish intellectually, physically, and emotionally through a diet that is free from animal meat and milk,” notes Nona Andaya-Castillo, founding director of Nurturers of the Earth. “We have mobilized the Tagala brothers, an epitome of pure talent and health to emphasize this point.”
Honed by national artists, the Tagala brothers Jonathan, David, Jimmy Jr., Daniel, and Samuel were homeschooled by their parents Nanielyn and Jimmy Sr. Tagala. The whole family became vegetarians in 1993. Daniel and Jimmy Jr. are winners of national competitions for young musicians while David and Jimmy Jr. are members of the Southeast Youth Orchestra. David also plays with the Asian Youth Orchestra. Jonathan can play the sax, flute, piano, and the guitar, and sings in a voice that can suit various repertoires. The brothers have performed in various parts of the country as well as Asian countries. Jimmy Jr. debuted in a solo concert and a US tour this year.
World Vegetarian Month has been observed since 1977, bringing together vegetarians from all over the world for a common cause: to make people aware of the ethical, environmental, health, and humanitarian benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle. Established by the North American Vegetarian Society, the celebration starts on October 1, which is World Vegetarian Day, and ends on November 1, World Vegan Day.
The meat of the matter is that 17 years ago, Nona Andaya-Castillo turned a new leaf and became a vegetarian. She confesses it has helped her conquer major illnesses. She’s also been able to help many of her patients as a lactation consultant. “Many mothers come to me because they were told by their doctors that they cannot breastfeed either because they or their babies are sick, so I assist them to breastfeed and eat the right foods to recover from illnesses. I teach them how to choose and prepare indigenous foods,” Nona relates.
The Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health, an official document of the World Health Organization released in 2002, stresses that non-communicable diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer will increase if people don’t change their diet and lifestyle. It zeroes in on the western diet that is rich in fat. Nurturers of the Earth challenged the participants to try vegetarianism for the month and be among the VIPs or vegetarians in progress.
As a fitting finale to the month-long celebration, the VIPs, together with long-time vegetarians, will stage a fun run. For the schedule of lectures and other events, call 701-4414.
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