____________________________________________________________________________________________
FDA finds traces of melamine in top-selling U.S. infant formula
Staff and agenciesFDA finds traces of melamine in US infant formula - Yahoo! News document.body.className = ‘js-enabled‘; Skip to navigation » Skip to content » U.S. Medications/Drugs Parenting/Kids Seniors/Aging Diseases/Conditions FDA finds traces of melamine in US infant formula Buzz Up IM del.icio.us Yahoo! Bookmarks By MARTHA MENDOZA and JUSTIN PRITCHARD, Associated Press Writers Martha Mendoza And Justin Pritchard, Associated Press Writers – 12 mins ago Pl – US bans Chinese dairy products Pl Video: Melamine found in Chinese eggs Related Quotes Symbol Price Change ABT 51.22 +0.44 ^GSPC 857.39 +5.58 ^IXIC 1,464.73 -7.29 Reuters – A child suffering from kidney stones receives medical treatment at a hospital in Hefei, Anhui province …
The Food and Drug Administration said last month it was unable to identify any melamine exposure level as safe for infants, but a top official said it would be a "dangerous overreaction" for parents to stop feeding infant formula to babies who depend on it.
Melamine is the chemical found in Chinese infant formula — in far larger concentrations — that has been blamed for killing at least three babies and making at least 50,000 others ill.
Separately, a third major formula maker told AP that in-house tests had detected trace levels of melamine in its infant formula.
The FDA and other experts said the melamine contamination in U.S.-made formula had occurred during the manufacturing process, rather than intentionally.
Sundlof said there have been no reports of human illness in the United States from melamine, which can bind with other chemicals in urine, potentially causing damaging stones in the kidney or bladder and, in extreme cases, kidney failure.
Sundlof told the AP the positive test results "so far are in the trace range, and from a public health or infant health perspective, we consider those to be perfectly fine."
FDA scientists said then that they couldn‘t set an acceptable level of melamine exposure in infant formula because science hadn‘t had enough time to understand the chemical‘s effects on infants‘ underdeveloped kidneys. Plus, there is the complicating factor that infant formula often constitutes a newborn‘s entire diet.
Still, the announcement was widely interpreted by manufacturers, the news media and Congress to mean that infant formula that tested positive at any level could not be sold in the United States.
It was not until the AP inquired about tests on domestic formula that the FDA articulated that while it couldn‘t set a safe exposure for infants, it would accept some melamine in formula — raising the question of whether the decision to accept very low concentrations was made only after traces were detected.
On Sunday, Sundlof said the agency had never said, nor implied, that domestic infant formula was going to be entirely free of melamine. He said he didn‘t know if the agency‘s statements on infant formula had been misinterpreted.
In China, melamine was intentionally dumped into watered-down milk to trick food quality tests into showing higher protein levels than actually existed. Byproducts of the milk ended up in infant formula, coffee creamers, even biscuits.
The concentrations of melamine there were extraordinarily high, as much as 2,500 parts per million. The concentrations detected in the FDA samples were 10,000 times smaller — the equivalent of a drop in a 64-gallon trash bin.
There would be no economic advantage to spiking U.S.-made formula at the extremely low levels found in the FDA testing. It neither raises the protein count nor saves valuable protein, said University of California, Davis chemist Michael Filigenzi, a melamine detection expert.
According to FDA data for tests of 77 infant formula samples, a trace concentration of melamine was detected in one product — Mead Johnson‘s Infant Formula Powder, Enfamil LIPIL with Iron. An FDA spreadsheet shows two tests were conducted on the Enfamil, with readings of 0.137 and 0.14 parts per million.
Three tests of Nestle‘s Good Start Supreme Infant Formula with Iron detected an average of 0.247 parts per million of cyanuric acid, a melamine byproduct.
And while the FDA said tests of 18 samples of formula made by Abbott Laboratories, including its Similac brand, did not detect melamine, spokesman Colin McBean said some company tests did find the chemical. He did not identify the specific product or the number of positive tests.
McBean did say the detections were at levels far below the health limits set by all countries in the world, including Taiwan, where the limit is 0.05 parts per million.
"We‘re talking about trace amounts right here, and you know there‘s a lot of scientific bodies out there that say low levels of melamine are always present in certain types of foods," said McBean.
Mead Johnson spokeswoman Gail Wood said her company‘s in-house tests had not detected any melamine, and that the company had not been informed of the FDA test results, even during a confidential agency conference call Monday with infant formula makers about melamine contamination.
The FDA tests also detected melamine in two samples of nutritional supplements for very sick children who have trouble digesting regular food. Nestle‘s Peptamen Junior medical food showed 0.201 and 0.206 parts per million of melamine while Nestle‘s Nutren Junior-Fiber showed 0.16 and 0.184 parts per million.
The agency said that while there are no established exposure levels for infant formula, pediatric medical food — often used in feeding tubes for very sick, young children — can have 2.5 parts per million of melamine, just like food products other than infant formula.
In a written response to questions, a Nestle spokesman denied that any of the company‘s products contained cyanuric acid, and said its products are safe.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., who heads a panel that oversees the FDA budget, said the agency was taking a "marketplace first, science last" approach.
"The FDA should be insisting on a zero-tolerance policy for melamine in domestic infant formula until it is able to determine conclusively based on sound independent science that the trace levels would not pose a health risk to infants," DeLauro said.
Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., a frequent critic of the FDA, said: "If no safe level of melamine has been established for consumption by children, then the FDA should immediately recall any formula that has tested positive for even trace amounts of the contaminant."
Several medical experts said trace concentrations would be diluted even in an infant, and are highly unlikely to be harmful.
"It‘s just a tiny amount, it‘s very unlikely to cause stones," said Stanford University Medical School pediatrics professor Dr. Paul Grimm.
Dr. Jerome Paulson, an associate professor of pediatrics at Children‘s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., said he didn‘t think the FDA‘s decision was unreasonable. He added, however, that the agency should research the impacts of long-term, low-dose exposure, "and not just assume it‘s safe, and then 15 years from now find out that it‘s not."
___
On the Net:
The FDA‘s melamine guidance: http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/melamine.html Recommend Buzz Up IM del.icio.us Yahoo! Bookmarks (function() { /** * YUI function to get all elements by class name * getElementsByClass */ function getElementsByClass(className, tag, root) { tag = tag || ‘*‘; root = (typeof root == ‘string‘) ? document.getElementById(root) : root || document; var nodes = [], elements = root.getElementsByTagName(tag), re = new RegExp(‘(?:^|s+)‘ + className + ‘(?:s+|$)‘); for (var i = 0, len = elements.length; i < len; ++i) { if ( re.test(elements[i].className) ) { nodes[nodes.length] = elements[i]; } } return nodes; } /** * This code displays the expand button as the page loads. This prevents any lag in displaying * the button if the page takes a long time to load. If the user clicks the button before the page * loads then we just show the full story without animation. Thus, preventing the full implementation * from loading. */ var story = document.getElementById(‘yn-story‘); var related = document.getElementById(‘yn-story-related-media‘); if ( (story && story.className.indexOf(‘read-more-toggle‘) != -1) && window.location.hash!=‘#full‘ ) { var buttonHeight = 18; var defaultHeight = 406; var heightLimit = 200; var host = document.location.host; var path = document.location.pathname; var bd = getElementsByClass(‘bd‘,‘div‘,story)[0]; // Figure out min height for story container based on the heights of the related media and primary media containers if (related) { // do height calculations if related height is larger than default minHeight if (related.offsetHeight > defaultHeight) { // if primary exists then use that height, otherwise use related var obj = getElementsByClass(‘primary-media‘,‘div‘,related)[0]; if (!obj) obj = related; // set height from primary or related container minHeight = parseInt(obj.offsetHeight, 10); // if the minheight is smaller than default, then set it to default if ( (minHeight < defaultHeight) && !document.getElementById(‘yn-story-main-media‘) && !document.getElementById(‘yn-story-minor-media‘) ) { minHeight = defaultHeight; } } else { minHeight = defaultHeight; } } else { minHeight = defaultHeight; } // add height of buttons to min height minHeight += buttonHeight; // make sure there is enough story to hide if ((bd.offsetHeight - minHeight) > heightLimit) { // set overflow and height bd.style.height = minHeight + "px"; bd.className += " overflow"; story.className += " read-closed"; // add read more expand button var div = document.createElement(‘div‘); div.className = ‘read-more read-more-expand‘; div.innerHTML = ‘Read Full Article‘; // we have to handle the case where a user might click the button before our YUI script loads // if so, remove the height and overflow setting then hide the button, also add #full hash to url so // if script eventually is loaded it doesnt recreate the buttons and collapse the story div.onclick = function(ev) { var e = ev || window.event; // show full story bd.style.height = ‘auto‘; bd.className = bd.className.replace(‘overflow‘,‘‘); story.className = story.className.replace(‘read-closed‘,‘‘); // hide the toggle button div.className += ‘ hide‘; // add #full hash to url to prevent YUI script from loading window.location.hash = ‘#full‘; // disable link follow if (e.preventDefault) { e.preventDefault(); } else { e.returnValue = false; } } // add div to document bd.appendChild(div); } } })(); More... Video: European Study Recommends Less Frequent Mammograms Video: Prescription Predicament Video: Less-Invasive Stomach Stapling Most Viewed - Health Time.com Encouraging dip in rate of new cancers, deaths AP Some breast cancers may naturally regress: study Reuters U.S. officials find trace of melamine in baby formula Reuters Nap without guilt: It boosts sophisticated memory AP All Most Viewed » Most Blogged - Health Microsoft Examines Causes of ‘Cyberchondria’ New York Times – Mon Nov 24, 6:56 pm EDT Blogs About This Story (16) Does FOCA mean an end to Catholic health care? Hot Air TV – Tue Nov 25, 8:23 am EDT Blogs About This Story (5) Shoewawa – Tue Nov 25, 6:50 am EDT Blogs About This Story (5) Elsewhere on the Web ABC News: U.S. Cancer Rates Down for First Time ABC News: Understanding the Drop in Cancer Cases Time.com: Medical Tourism Subscribe Add headlines to your personalized My Yahoo! page (About My Yahoo! and RSS) Health - AP Add to My Yahoo! More News Feeds » Alerts Get an alert when there are new stories about: food quality tests melamine acceptable level Rep. Rosa DeLauro FDA‘s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition Add Selected Alerts Also on Yahoo! News News by Region (Yahoo! Directory) Yahoo! News & Media Sites Daily Features All Comics » Opinions & Editorials: Diverse views on news from the right, left, and center. All Opinion » Photo Highlight
Painted onions are displayed during the traditional Zibelemarit (onion market) in Bern. AFP/Fabrice Coffrini More Photos and Slideshow » Advertisements Yahoo! News Search Search Type All News Yahoo! News Only News Photos Video/Audio News Search Top Stories Obama: Economic rescue will trump deficit fightOfficials: Defense Sec. Gates to stay on under ObamaBillion-dollar gov‘t bailouts leaving the poor out in the coldIsrael closes Gaza crossings, reporters banned10 years after settlement, tobacco rebounds in US More Top Stories » Featured View masked protesters, the shuttle launch and other photos of the week on Yahoo! News. Spotlight: Competitive driveGolfer overcomes cerebral palsy to walk every hole on the PGA Tour Health Video Pl Pl Pl Less-Invasive Stomach Stapling Pl More Health Video » Education Savvy students are earning MBA degrees online. See what schools offer these programs. Online students are feeling secure as they earn their degrees in top career fields. Yahoo! How Often Can You Get a Breast Abnormality Imaged? Three months is too short a time to see … Colon Cancer: What are Your Screening Options? Many people don‘t get screened for colon cancer when … Holidays are a time of family, festive parties, and … More from Yahoo! Health » Yahoo! What‘s for dinner? Easy Pork Chop Saute w/ Cranberries Cheddar Chicken & Rice Skillet More Dinner Recipes » What Yahoo! foodies are reading 8 Signs You‘re a Terrible Guest Obama‘s Favorite Pizzeria Pumpkin Pie Showdown: Canned Vs. Fresh More from Yahoo! Food » Yahoo! News Navigation U.S. News Services RSS Add Yahoo! Headlines to Your Site Copyright © 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. YAHOO.News.Apply.start(); YAHOO.ulm.setcrumb(‘8eaa95b4955b0b7db02aa02a5768c5fc,1227657379‘); //****************************************************************************** // messages //****************************************************************************** YAHOO.ulm.setmessages( { ‘ACTloading‘ : "Retrieving location data...", ‘ACTconfirmclearall‘ : "Are you sure you want to delete all locations?", ‘ACTconfirmclear‘ : "Are you sure you want to delete this location?", ‘ACTconfirmrecentsave‘ : "Are you sure you want to save this location?", ‘ACTconfirmaddnew‘ : "Clicking OK will take you away from this page.", ‘ACTconfirmedit‘ : "Clicking OK will take you away from this page.", ‘ACTclearall‘ : "Clearing all location data...", ‘ACTclearone‘ : "Clearing location data...", ‘ACTsettingdefault‘ : "Setting default...", ‘ACTsaving‘ : "Saving location...", ‘ACTsubmitting‘ : "Submitting...", ‘TTtrigger‘ : "", ‘TTcloser‘ : "Close this panel", ‘TThelp‘ : "", ‘TTclearall‘ : "Delete the default and all recent locations", ‘TTsaveaddnew‘ : "Add a new location to my saved locations", ‘TTmakedefault‘: "Make this the default location", ‘TTsave‘ : "Save this location in my saved locations", ‘TTedit‘ : "Edit this saved location", ‘TTclear‘ : "Delete this location", ‘ERRgetdata‘ : "We‘re sorry, the system is busyPlease try again in a few minutes.", ‘ERRsaving‘ : "Saving location...", ‘ERRclearing‘ : "Clearing location...", ‘CTArecent‘ : "No recent locations" } ); YAHOO.ulm.register( { ‘module‘ : ‘builtin‘, ‘props‘ : { ‘debug‘ : ‘0‘, ‘locale‘ : ‘en_US‘, ‘dataurl‘ : ‘/ulm3.0/ulm30_data.php‘, //data url ‘editpageurl‘ : ‘http://e.my.yahoo.com/ulm3.0/editpage/ulmedit.php‘, //edit page url ‘locationhovercolor‘ : ‘#FDF5E3‘, ‘locationnormalcolor‘: ‘#FFF‘, ‘locationtype‘ : ‘‘, ‘triggers‘ : [], ‘widgettype‘ : ‘Overlay‘, ‘callback‘ : null, ‘dotdone‘ : escape(location.href), ‘prefill‘ : { ‘368‘ : ‘‘, ‘370‘ : ‘‘, ‘369‘ : ‘‘, ‘438‘ : ‘‘, ‘isdefault‘ : 0 } } } ); if (document.getElementById(‘ulmlinktrigger‘)) { YAHOO.ulm.register( { ‘module‘ : ‘moreNewsLocalChangeLocation‘, ‘props‘ : { locationtype : ‘370‘, triggers : [‘ulmlinktrigger‘], widgettype : ‘Overlay‘, callback : YAHOO.News.UpdateMoreNewsLocal, showaddress : false, alignX : ‘right‘, adjustX : 0, zindex : 3 } } ); }
Copyright © 2008 The Associated Press. All rights
reserved.