Dr Bob the Health Builder

Dr Bob the Health Builder

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Melamine

Better Living Through Chemistry

It seems that melamine has been around forever and for the most part, it has been present for decades. This dates me, but I remember as a kid, the pharmacy in my small home town of West Virginia, opened a new soda fountain inside their pharmacy. The ‘buzz’ around town was the counter tops were constructed out of Formica. Hot pans nor burning cigarettes would not damage the surface – this is Melamine.

This is description that I found on the internet:

Melamine is an organic compound that is often combined with formaldehyde to produce melamine resin, a synthetic polymer which is fire resistant and heat tolerant. Melamine resin is a very versatile material with a highly stable structure. Uses for melamine include: whiteboards, floor tiles, kitchenware, fire retardant fabrics, and commercial filters. Melamine can be easily molded while warm, but will set into a fixed form. This property makes it ideally suited to certain industrial applications.

Melamine resin is manufactured by mixing urea with formaldehyde under heat and pressure. The substances begin to polymerize and are forced into a mold which will create the desired shape. Under pressure, melamine releases water, which could make the plastic unstable if it is not removed. The materials finish polymerizing and create a finished product, melamine resin.

Melamine resin is known as a thermoset plastic, because the plastic is fixed after molding. If exposed to enough heat, melamine will melt. For this reason, melamine dishware should not be exposed to high temperatures like those in the oven and microwave. However, the plastic is able to withstand higher temperatures than other plastics. Because it is a thermoset plastic, melamine resin is difficult to recycle.

Melamine can be made into a foam product. Melamine foam has a distinctive structure composed of stacked bubble shapes, which are extremely hard and therefore can easily clean a wide variety of substances. Melamine foam is marketed under a variety of commercial names including Magic Eraser, a cleaning tool well known for removing scuffs and dirt from a wide range of surfaces.

Melamine resin is used in Formica and similar construction products made from composite materials. Formica is made using melamine resin, which is used to coat the fibers in the upper layer of the construction product. The melamine resin makes the end result heat resistant, so that hot objects can be set on the counter without concern. The surface of the material is designed to be easily wiped and cleaned, creating a long-lived household product.

Melamine also plays a role in a wide range of flame resistant materials. These include textiles used in upholstery and the uniforms worn by firemen. Thermal liners, heat resistant gloves, and aprons to protect from splashback of hot substances are produced using melamine. Melamine will protect a wearer from heat hazards, and will help to resist the spread of fire in aircraft and buses by providing a fire blocker.

Melamine is also used in the manufacture of some filters. The material is porous and will admit substances to pass through, but can be used to filter out particles of a particular size. Melamine filters are capable of handling a high capacity and can be used in hot environments due to the heat resistance of melamine. Melamine filters are also extremely efficient.

Aside from common commercial uses, melamine became a topic of much discussion in early 2007, when veterinary scientists determined it to be the cause of hundreds of pet deaths, because of pet food contamination. Prior to these reports, melamine had been regarded as non-toxic or minimally toxic. However, because of the unexplained presence of melamine in wheat gluten added to mass-produced dog and cat foods, it is the most likely cause. Pet owners report symptoms that are commonly associated with renal failure, which could be explained by the ammonia that may result from the digestion of the melamine.

I have been puzzled with one question – Why would a Chinese company put melamine in food products? This is the answer! Read carefully because we will see more of this, as unscrupulous people whom we don’t know, personally will contaminate our food supply for their gain. Should some of the human population, or our pets die along the way, we will be acceptable losses.

ChemNutra, which imported the wheat gluten linked to last month's massive pet-food recall, says it is concerned its Chinese supplier spiked the product.

In a letter on ChemNutra's website, Chief Executive Steve Miller said, "We are concerned that we may have been the victim of deliberate and mercenary contamination for the purpose of making the wheat gluten we purchased appear to have a higher protein content than it did."

Melamine is "simply not a chemical even on the radar screen for food ingredient suppliers," he wrote.

But it does have a lot of nitrogen in it, says Ron Madl, director of Kansas State University's Bioprocessing and Industrial Value Added program. The most common way to test protein levels in the grain industry is to test for nitrogen, a major component of protein.

Adding melamine, with its high amount of nitrogen, to wheat gluten would give the illusion of a higher protein content, Madl said.

I included the information shown below, for the official position of the ASPCA.

NEW YORK, March 30, 2007— Three days ago, the ASPCA^® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals^®) cautioned that aminopterin was an unlikely suspect in the illnesses and deaths of animals that ingested the recently-recalled contaminated foods—a suspicion that was today confirmed by the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

In a news conference held today, the FDA announced that further laboratory testing identified the presence of melamine in food samples from the recalled lots. Melamine, which is not highly toxic in general, is used to make durable plastic household products; cleaning products; hard, stain-resistant laminates; flame-retardant foam and in soundproofing.

“Melamine at high doses causes a pronounced diuretic affect in dogs and rats, as well as the development of crystals in their urine,” said Dr. Steven Hansen, veterinary toxicologist and senior vice president with the ASPCA, who manages the ASPCA’s Midwest Office, including its Animal Poison Control Center (APCC). “The twist in the tale is that melamine itself has a very high safety margin, especially when compared with a toxin such as aminopterin.

“Cats, however, are a very sensitive species, and can react adversely to many chemicals and drugs,” continued Dr. Hansen. “Because of their unique physiology, we suspect that they may also be more sensitive to the adverse effects of melamine.

“Further, crystals in urine have been reported by veterinary diagnosticians and clinicians in some of the pets affected by the contaminated foods. However, the direct connection between melamine and renal failure, especially in cats, is not clear and requires additional investigation.”

What is the take home message from this mini disaster (mini-- because there will probably be larger disasters in the future concerning people food)? When it comes to food – buy local.

When you see a sign in the grocery store that says “organic” from China, do not believe it!

The farther food is shipped, the less the nutrition and more likely it can be contaminated by a faceless person who doesn’t care about “us,” and also the pet population.

Change your food buying habits. Purchase from someone you can look in the eye and know if he or she is honest. We cannot change our buying habits overnight, but there are providers at co-ops, CSAs, local farmers who are honest and care about you. These groups of people are growing in numbers all the time.

In the interim, buy local as much as possible and prepare your own foods from scratch – this includes for our pets!

Dr Bob the Health Builder

www.drbobthehealthbuilder.com

PS. The FDA is investigating pork and chicken as it seems as the pet food was removed from the market the suppliers of feed to pork producers and some chicken growers bought the excess dog and cat food and are now feeding it into our food supply.

I believe in the United States of America and capitalism but where does the greed and lack of integrity stop in a free society?

Again, it local as much as possible and prepare food for you and your pets in your kitchen and not out of a package!