Is plastic tableware with melamine safe to use? There are rumors that this type of tableware can be unsafe, but the FDA has answers. Melamine is a chemical that is approved for use in plates, paper, paperboard, and industrial coatings. Two occasions have raised the specter of the dangers of melamine. In 2007, pet treats manufactured in China was made with  melamine, which artificially raises the protein content of food, and pets were sickened and some died. And in 2008, melamine was added to infant formula in China, and hundreds of thousands of children were sickened; six died. But those incidents were of melamine being deliberately added to food. Melamine used to make plastic tableware is different. It is true that you should avoid serving hot foods, particularly hot liquids … [Read more...]

A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine this month has found that melamine exposure is common, even after the 2008 melamine-tained milk and baby formula incident in China. That crisis resulted in 6 deaths and 50,000 hospitalizations. Unfortunately, melamine table ware can be a source of this chemical in the diet. Scientists at Kaohsiung Medical University in Taiwan studied health volunteers to consume hot noodle soup (initial temperature of 90 degrees C) served in melamine bowls. They then collected urine samples to calculate melamine. They found that those who ate the soup served in melamine bowls had 8.35 micrograms of melamine in their urine, compared to 1.31 micrograms in the control group. High levels of melamine combines with cyanuric acid in the body to form crystals that … [Read more...]