Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Personal Injury Law Blogs -> Des Moines Personal Injury Lawyer

Personal Injury Law

: Des Moines Personal Injury Lawyer

Contaminated Food - What is melamine doing in my Wonton Soup?

By Steve Lombardi

Yesterday we reported on the tainted milk that caused kidney illnesses to over 400 babies because a chemical was added to throw off inspections for protein content. The chemical is melamine and today we will answer the question: What is melamine?

Melamine is an organic compound that when heated sets into a fixed form. It's normally combined during manufacturing to be sold as a resin, or a cleaning product, or as a filter, or combined with formaldehyde to produce a resin, or as a flame resistant agent. It's the same contaminant that veterinary scientists linked to the pet food deaths. Pet owners had reported deaths with renal failures.

Renal essentially means kidneys and kidney failure is both chronic and acute. Acute happens quickly. The symptoms of renal failure include edema, a decrease in urination output, tiredness and headaches. Other people experience nothing at all.

Ingesting melamine The Material Data Safety Sheet for the product name Melamine, shows it to be a Type III product,

The FDA in Canada has not approved melamine for use in nutritional products. As reported by the Royal Canin,

· What is melamine and why was it found in pet food?

· Melamine is a chemical substance that is used to produce very durable plastics, countertops, fabrics, glues and flame retardants. Melamine is also used to produce fertilizers. By no means should melamine be found in pet food diets, at levels above those that would be naturally present in the general environment. Melamine is not approved by the FDA for any use in nutritional products.

· Although criminal charges are currently being filed by the FDA against the implicated Chinese suppliers, no official conclusion has yet been published as to why this ingredient would have been intentionally added to the cereal protein sources being sold from them.

Is melamine a food contaminant?

The U.S. Government and federal scientists have concluded that melamine in food poses "very low risk to humans." See Gastroenterology and Hepatology News. But that conclusion was based either on a false assumption or a very limited premise. The assumption was that melamine would contaminate the food supply through animals that had ingested feeds contaminated with melamine. Probably because it was unthinkable that someone would add melamine to human foods, like baby milk. It was and it's caused acute kidney failure in the Chinese babies. So it's now realistic to assume melamine contamination of human consumed foods is plausible.

So what happened to the animals that ingested melamine? Well it's killed dogs and cats when added to their food. Those animals died of acute kidney failure.

Q: Is melamine toxic to animals?

A: Melamine appears to have caused acute kidney failure in animals that have died or been sickened after eating foods laced with the chemical. Previously, the only known risk was to rodents. When fed to male rats in high doses, melamine indirectly caused tumors by forming stones that irritated the lining of the bladder, according to a 2002 United Nations Environmental Program report. The report concluded its toxicity to mammals is low.

What should a person do if they've ingested melamine?

What damage can melamine cause to a human being?

From what we are hearing from China, acute renal failure and death. After the pet food contamination scandal what did our governmental officials do to protect us? In 2002 the UN report concluded contamination to the human food supply was unlikely.

Q: What about people?

A: The 2002 UN report concluded the potential risk posed by melamine is low. However, the UN based that conclusion on the slim chance that consumers would even come into contact with the chemical.

Maybe I'm naive, but I will admit that I don't get it. If our government is going to make it easy for manufacturing jobs to be shipped abroad and they already know those third-world country cultures do not have in place the same protections consumers in America have, then why are they doing so little to protect us? If they claim to have had no warning, that's just not true. There was the pet food contamination and the pig food debacle.

Q: What's the connection to human food?

A: State and federal investigators are looking at hog farms in at least six states that were supplied with salvaged pet food distributed before it was known to be contaminated with melamine. It wasn't immediately clear which farms had hogs that actually ate the contaminated pet food, though the urine of animals has tested positive for the chemical in California, North Carolina and South Carolina. Some hog farms have been placed under quarantine. A poultry farm in Missouri also may have received some tainted food.

As shown on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration web site they've known since March 15, 2007 that pet foods were "sickening and killing cats and dogs." On May 7, 2007 there is the FDA/USDA Joint News Release: Scientists Conclude Very Low Risk to Humans from Food Containing Melamine concludes as the title suggests there is little chance of this happening. Obviously it did happen in China. Now the question remains as to whether other food stuffs that contain high levels of protein can be diluted with melamine to increase profit margins. If that is the case then it's a short walk in logical theory that our foods being imported from China can't be far behind.

To ensure no further contaminated products enter the U.S., the federal government will continue to monitor imported wheat and corn gluten as well as rice protein concentrate and isolates arriving from all countries destined for human and animal consumption. The FDA import alert for these products sourced from China remains in effect and U.S. Customs and Border Protection will continue laboratory testing of the products as they enter the U.S. The inspections are a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of products entering at U.S. ports of entry. There is no evidence to suggest products bound for the human food supply are contaminated.

What symptoms should you be on the look out for?

Kidneys play a key role in filtering blood and getting rid of waste products as well as balancing electrolytes in the body, controlling blood pressure and stimulating the production of red blood cells. The symptoms of kidney failure are lethargy, weakness, shortness of breath, generalized swelling, loss of appetite, fatigue and a decrease of mental function. Kidney failure is diagnosed with blood tests that measure the buildup of waste in the body. Urine tests measure the amount of protein, detection of abnormal cells or measure the amount of electrolytes present. Utrasound can be performed to measure the size if the kidneys. Lastly a biopsy can detect tissue damage.

Symptoms to look out for

Affected animals will show renal failure with excessive thirst, diarrhoea, and lethargy. The sooner you get your animals to a vet the better. Once crystals have formed in the kidneys, the prognosis becomes extremely guarded. Early treatment is with ethanol intravenously. This would be in the case of propylene glycol poisoning. We really know very little about melamine poisoning. Fortunately I haven't had a single case, but if I get one, I would probably treat the symptoms as they appear, and certainly use the same protocol as for propylene glycol. We've received a very good protocol from Dr Dave Miller on exactly how to treat the condition.

Both the FDA and the USDA are studying and monitoring this situation. I don't believe we have a Free Trade Agreement with China. The next meeting between the U.S. China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade is set for September 15, 2008. The Chinese have signed an agreement on food safety and plant and animal health. So why are we pandering to their manufacturing industry? I suppose we have to in order to sell more agricultural product in China. Realistically when you're raising babies and children the answer to that question has little relevance to your daily life. You worry about their health and how to recognize when they aren't healthy.

JOHANNS SIGNS AGREEMENT WITH CHINA ON FOOD SAFETY AND PLANT AND ANIMAL HEALTH

WASHINGTON, April 11, 2006 -- Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns today signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Minister Li Changjiang of China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine to improve bilateral cooperation on animal and plant health and food safety. "China is an increasingly important market for U.S. food and agricultural products," said Johanns. "In 2005, U.S. farmers and ranchers sold more than $6 billion in agricultural products to China, making it our fifth largest export market. This memorandum of understanding will create a structure to enable us to address sanitary, phytosanitary and food safety issues before they become barriers to the thriving agricultural trade between our two countries." Under this MOU the two countries will exchange information on food regulations and standards, inspection and quarantine procedures, and other issues such as pests and disease, harmful residues, and food certification. The MOU was signed in conjunction with the 17th meeting of the U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) plenary held in Washington, D.C. The JCCT provides the United States and China with an opportunity for high-level discussions on bilateral trade issues, and a means to strengthen commercial relationships. The JCCT last met in China in July 2005. Johanns participated in the 17th U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) meeting held in Washington today. The forum was co-chaired by Vice Premier Wu Yi for China and on the U.S. side by U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman and Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez. The JCCT provides the United States and China with an opportunity for high-level discussions on bilateral trade issues, and a means to strengthen commercial relationships. The JCCT last met in China in July 2005. Release No. 0124.06 FAS PR 0046-06

What is the treatment for kidney failure?

It seems there is nothing medical science can do to repair kidney damage. It's permanent. They treat kidney damage like they do diabetes and hypertension, with dietary restrictions and drugs. Of course dialysis is necessary for extreme permanent impairment.

Obviously this is not a situation anyone can ignore. Renal insufficiency or kidney failure are serious problems that affect the quality of life.

LOMBARDI'S SHORT LIST

-- So here is the short list of what to look for. --

Symptoms

Acute renal failure often does not cause symptoms that you notice. If you are already in the hospital, tests done for other problems may also detect your kidney failure. When symptoms do appear, they may include:

· Swelling, especially of the legs and feet.

· Little or no urine output.

· Thirst and a dry mouth.

· Rapid heart rate.

· Feeling dizzy when you stand up.

· Loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting.

· Feeling confused, anxious and restless, or sleepy.

· Pain on one side of the back, just below the rib cage and above the waist (flank pain).

The symptoms can help your doctor find out what type of kidney failure is present.

Steve Lombardi is a civil trial lawyer practicing in West Des Moines, Iowa. He regularly speaks at continued legal education seminars, likes to write about the practice law and writes two blogs including one for clients and lawyers, The Verdict.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Steve Lombardi

Full post as published by Des Moines Personal Injury Lawyer on September 16, 2008 (boomark / email).