Toxic warning over hot food containers


Tainted food: China has cracked down on illegal food production after scandals such as melamine being added to milk in 2008. Picture: AP Source: AP

MELAMINE, the chemical that killed Chinese babies in a milk-formula scandal, may be ingested when it's used in containers for serving very hot food, a study found.

Traces were found in the urine of volunteers who ate noodle soup from non-breakable melamine bowls.

Researchers at the Kaohsiung Medical University in Taiwan said it appeared the melamine leached when exposed to boiling hot substances.

Their research found the people who ate the noodle soup from melamine bowls had far higher levels of melamine in their urine 12 hours after eating compared to a control group who ate from ceramic bowls.

Melamine is an organic chemical widely used in plastics - especially food bowls and plates - adhesives, countertops, dishware and whiteboards, and at least six babies died and more than 300,000 became sick when they were fed melamine-contaminated dairy products in China in 2008.

It can cause kidney stones, and, while the researchers said any serious effects of years of exposure from food containers wasn't known, "the consequences of long-term melamine exposure still should be of concern.''