Clipping Board » Illness Enters through Mouth ─ The information that has been made public is often just the tip of the iceberg...
China Times / Huang Tianru, Zhang Cuifen / Taipei Report 2008/09/26
Melamine is an inedible chemical raw material, yet the government allows a certain amount in food. Isn't that going too far? Experts invited to the Department of Health press conference yesterday stated that, similar to dioxin or pesticide testing, while a detection value of zero is ideal, the reality is that even the most precise instruments have limits, and 2.5 ppm is already a very strict standard.
Dr. Yang Zhenchang, attending physician at the Clinical Toxicology Department of Taipei Veterans General Hospital, mentioned that considering the EU's standard for melamine release from food containers like melamine ware is 30 ppm, the Department of Health's food content detection standard of 2.5 ppm is indeed quite stringent.
He explained that if acute toxicity intensity is divided into extremely toxic, highly toxic, moderately toxic, and low toxicity, the allowable exposure level of melamine in rat experiments is 3161 mg per kilogram of body weight (at which point half of the test rats would die). For a 60 kg adult, this would mean consuming 189.7 grams at once to potentially be fatal, classifying it as a low-toxicity substance.
In terms of chronic toxicity, animal experiments also show that 90% of melamine is excreted from the body within a day of ingestion. In other words, melamine does not accumulate in the body and does not have genotoxic effects such as causing birth defects. The only concern is that continuous daily intake might lead to urinary tract stones.
Dr. Yang emphasized that according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) daily allowable intake recommendation for melamine, it is 0.63 mg per kilogram of body weight. This figure is derived from rat animal experiments divided by 100 (as a tenfold safety factor is required for cross-species or individual differences).
Based on the above allowable intake and the detection standards announced by the Department of Health, a 60 kg adult could consume 15 kg of food containing 2.5 ppm melamine every day for 70 years without any issues.
Dr. Lin Bingxi, director of the Nephrology Department at Shin Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital, stated that melamine has poor water solubility, which can lead to crystal formation during human metabolism, potentially causing stones. However, for nephrologists, as long as one drinks plenty of water or undergoes extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy, stones are a completely curable condition.
Dr. Zheng Jihui and Dr. Yu Meijing from the Pediatric Nephrology Department, and Dr. Wang Damin and Dr. Chen Xiaowen from the Pediatric Urology Department at Linkou Chang Gung Children's Medical Center jointly stated yesterday that pharmacological and animal experimental evidence shows that melamine is almost entirely metabolized by the kidneys, with 90% excreted in urine within 24 hours of ingestion. This indicates that the kidneys clear melamine at a very fast rate. As long as it is not consumed in large amounts over a long period, there is no need for excessive concern. The best prevention is to develop habits of drinking plenty of water and urinating frequently.
Source: http:/ / times. hinet. net/ times……id=1758023& option=recreation
2008/09/23 10:48
2008/09/24 03:45
Drink More Water to Detox: Seven Doctors Say No Worries
Melamine is an inedible chemical raw material, yet the government allows a certain amount in food. Isn't that going too far? Experts invited to the Department of Health press conference yesterday stated that, similar to dioxin or pesticide testing, while a detection value of zero is ideal, the reality is that even the most precise instruments have limits, and 2.5 ppm is already a very strict standard.
Dr. Yang Zhenchang, attending physician at the Clinical Toxicology Department of Taipei Veterans General Hospital, mentioned that considering the EU's standard for melamine release from food containers like melamine ware is 30 ppm, the Department of Health's food content detection standard of 2.5 ppm is indeed quite stringent.
He explained that if acute toxicity intensity is divided into extremely toxic, highly toxic, moderately toxic, and low toxicity, the allowable exposure level of melamine in rat experiments is 3161 mg per kilogram of body weight (at which point half of the test rats would die). For a 60 kg adult, this would mean consuming 189.7 grams at once to potentially be fatal, classifying it as a low-toxicity substance.
In terms of chronic toxicity, animal experiments also show that 90% of melamine is excreted from the body within a day of ingestion. In other words, melamine does not accumulate in the body and does not have genotoxic effects such as causing birth defects. The only concern is that continuous daily intake might lead to urinary tract stones.
Dr. Yang emphasized that according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) daily allowable intake recommendation for melamine, it is 0.63 mg per kilogram of body weight. This figure is derived from rat animal experiments divided by 100 (as a tenfold safety factor is required for cross-species or individual differences).
Based on the above allowable intake and the detection standards announced by the Department of Health, a 60 kg adult could consume 15 kg of food containing 2.5 ppm melamine every day for 70 years without any issues.
Dr. Lin Bingxi, director of the Nephrology Department at Shin Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital, stated that melamine has poor water solubility, which can lead to crystal formation during human metabolism, potentially causing stones. However, for nephrologists, as long as one drinks plenty of water or undergoes extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy, stones are a completely curable condition.
Dr. Zheng Jihui and Dr. Yu Meijing from the Pediatric Nephrology Department, and Dr. Wang Damin and Dr. Chen Xiaowen from the Pediatric Urology Department at Linkou Chang Gung Children's Medical Center jointly stated yesterday that pharmacological and animal experimental evidence shows that melamine is almost entirely metabolized by the kidneys, with 90% excreted in urine within 24 hours of ingestion. This indicates that the kidneys clear melamine at a very fast rate. As long as it is not consumed in large amounts over a long period, there is no need for excessive concern. The best prevention is to develop habits of drinking plenty of water and urinating frequently.
Source: http:/ / times. hinet. net/ times……id=1758023& option=recreation