What is melamine?

The other day, I hung out. At the window of some stores on the roadside, I saw " ** Milk, buy one and get another free". In some supermarkets, so it is. And in Guangzhou, local milk products are more popular. All of these because of the Sanlu Milk scandal, Sanlu Milk products were tested with the highest content of melamine. Before this incident, I was not familiar with the word, melamine. What is melamine?

Melamine is an organic base chemical most commonly found in the form of white crystals rich in nitrogen

What is melamine generally used for?

Melamine is widely used in plastics, adhesives, countertops, dishware, whiteboards.

Why was melamine added into milk and powdered infant formula?

In China, where adulteration has occurred, water has been added to raw milk to increase its volume. As a result of this dilution the milk has a lower protein concentration. Companies using the milk for further production (e.g. of powdered infant formula) normally check the protein level through a test measuring nitrogen content. The addition of melamine increases the nitrogen content of the milk and therefore its apparent protein content.

Addition of melamine into food is not approved by the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius (food standard commission), or by any national authorities.

What are the health effects of melamine consumptions in humans?

While there are no direct human studies on the effect of melamine data from animal studies can be used to predict adverse health effects. Melamine alone causes bladder stones in animal tests. When combined with cyanuric acid, which may also be present in melamine powder, melamine can form crystals that can give rise to kidney stones.

These small crystals can also block the small tubes in the kidney potentially stopping the production of urine, causing kidney failure and, in some cases, death. Melamine has also been shown to have carcinogenic effects in animals in certain circumstances, but there is insufficient evidence to make a judgment on carcinogenic risk in humans.

The above quotation is linked from http://www.who.int