1.8.2009 9:19 AM

More Melamine Found in U.S. Infant Formula

4.5% of formulas tested were laced with a toxic chemical contaminant at levels the FDA deems "safe."
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Photo: Evangelos Patriarcheas / Istock

By Dan Shapley

Of 89 containers of infant formula tested, four showed traces of melamine and its by-product, cyanuric acid, according to an Associated Press account.

Melamine is an industrial chemical that has been used illegally by unscrupulous food manufacturers to give the appearance that their products have higher protein content. It is the chemical responsible for the wave of pet deaths and illnesses in the United States in 2007, and the horrifying incidence of kidney stones — as well as several deaths — among infants in China in 2008.

Previously, two containers of 77 tested had showed contamination by either of the chemicals — Nestle Good Start Supreme Infant Formula with Iron, and Mead Johnson's Enfamil LIPIL with Iron.

The new results, according to the AP, showed three more of the Mead Johnson product had traces of cyanuric acid, and one can of Nestle's Good Start Supreme Infant Formula with Iron showed traces of melamine.

The FDA has said the traces found in these products do not pose a health risk. The contamination in China that caused so many painful kidney stones was much higher.

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