MELAMINE - USA (02): TRACES IN INFANT FORMULA
*********************************************
A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org
Date: Wed 26 Nov 2008
Source: Yahoo News, Associated Press (AP) report [edited]
http://news.yahoo.com:80/s/ap/20081126/ap_on_he_me/infant_formula
FDA finds traces of melamine in US infant formula
Traces of the industrial chemical melamine have been detected in
samples of top-selling US infant formula, but federal regulators
insist the products are safe.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said last month [October 2008]
it was unable to identify any melamine exposure level as safe for
infants, but a top official said it would be a “dangerous
overreaction” for parents to stop feeding infant formula to babies
who depend on it.
“The levels that we are detecting are extremely low,” said Dr Stephen
Sundlof, director of the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied
Nutrition. “They should not be changing the diet. If they’ve been
feeding a particular product, they should continue to feed that
product. That’s in the best interest of the baby.”
[large amounts of this article snipped...granny]
Previously undisclosed tests, obtained by The Associated Press under
the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), show that the FDA has detected
melamine in a sample of one popular formula and the presence of
cyanuric acid, a chemical relative of melamine, in the formula of a
2nd manufacturer.
Separately, a 3rd major formula maker told AP that in-house tests had
detected trace levels of melamine in its infant formula.
The 3 firms — Abbott Laboratories, Nestle, and Mead Johnson —
manufacture more than 90 percent of all infant formula produced in
the United States.
[ large amount of info snipped]
Still, the announcement was widely interpreted by manufacturers, the
news media, and Congress to mean that infant formula that tested
positive at any level could not be sold in the United States.
It was not until the AP inquired about tests on domestic formula that
the FDA articulated that while it couldn’t set a safe exposure for
infants, it would accept some melamine in formula — raising the
question of whether the decision to accept very low concentrations
was made only after traces were detected.
[snipped]
According to the FDA, data for tests of 77 infant formula samples
showed a trace concentration of melamine in one product — Nestle’s
Good Start Supreme Infant Formula with Iron. The FDA had 2 positive
tests on one sample, with readings of 0.137 and 0.14 parts per
million, FDA spokeswoman Judy Leon said Wednesday [26 Nov 2008].
An FDA spreadsheet the AP received Monday [24 Nov 2008] under its
FOIA request attributed those results to Mead Johnson’s Infant
Formula Powder, Enfamil LIPIL with Iron. On Wednesday [26 Nov 2008],
Leon said the FDA’s spreadsheet contained an error — that the
information provided to the AP had incorrectly switched the names of
the Mead Johnson product with the Nestle product.
Leon said Wednesday [26 Nov 2008] that a corrected spreadsheet shows
that it was Mead Johnson’s Infant Formula Powder, Enfamil LIPIL with
Iron in which FDA detected an average of 0.247 parts per million of
cyanuric acid, a melamine byproduct.
[snipped]
The FDA tests also detected melamine in 2 samples of nutritional
supplements for very sick children who have trouble digesting regular
food. Nestle’s Peptamen Junior medical food showed 0.201 and 0.206
parts per million of melamine while Nestle’s Nutren Junior-Fiber
showed 0.16 and 0.184 parts per million.
The agency said that while there are no established exposure levels
for infant formula, pediatric medical food — often used in feeding
tubes for very sick, young children — can have 2.5 parts per million
of melamine, just like food products other than infant formula.
snipped]
[Byline: Martha Mendoza, Justin Pritchard]
—
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail Rapporteur Brent Barrett
[Following the pet food incident in 2007 (see [5] in ProMED-mail
archive no. 20080919.2951), several authorities have performed
preliminary risk assessments.
The US FDA has published an interim safety/risk assessment on
melamine and structural analogues and has established for melamine a
tolerable daily intake (TDI) of 0.63 mg per kg of body weight per day
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/%7Edms/melamra.html
The European Food Safety Authority has published a provisional
statement and recommends a TDI of 0.5 mg per kg of body weight per
day as the tolerable intake value for melamine.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has published “Melamine and
Cyanuric acid: Toxicity, Preliminary Risk Assessment and Guidance on
Levels in Food”
http://www.who.int/foodsafety/fs_management/Melamine.pdf
This preliminary guidance was developed to assist national authorities
in the decision-making process on possible health concerns of melamine
levels in food. It is proposed by WHO as a 1st pragmatic approach
until more data become available, which would allow a more detailed
assessment.
For more information
- Questions and answers on melamine
http://www.who.int/entity/csr/media/faq/QAmelamine/en/index.html
- Melamine-contamination event, China, September 2008
http://www.who.int/entity/foodsafety/fs_management/infosan_events/en/index.html
- WHO page on breastfeeding
http://www.who.int/topics/breastfeeding/en/index.html
- Guidelines for the safe preparation, storage, and handling of
powdered infant formula
http://www.who.int/entity/foodsafety/publications/micro/pif2007/en/index.html
Mod.AS]
[Re: “there have been no reports of human illness in the United States
from melamine”, this is not surprising since I doubt that any kidney
stones removed from patients in the USA have been analyzed for
melamine content.
The human experiment has already been done unintentionally. As
mentioned in the above report, melamine-containing packaging and
cleaning solutions have been used in food processing for many years,
so there has been human exposure of the population to trace amounts of
melamine for years. Perhaps somebody should start testing autopsy
specimens from selected deaths in the older age groups for melamine
content? - Mod.JW]
[see also:
Melamine contaminated food products (08): worldwide ex China 20081120.3658
Melamine - USA: alert 20081116.3619
Melamine contamination, animal feed (04): China 20081114.3598
Melamine contaminated food products (07): worldwide ex China 20081114.3587
Melamine contaminated food products (06): worldwide ex China 20081105.3480
Melamine contamination, animal feed (03): China 20081031.3433
Melamine contaminated food products (05): worldwide ex China 20081030.3425
Melamine contaminated food products (04): Worldwide ex China 20081027.3391
Melamine contamination, animal feed (02): China 20081020.3326
Melamine contaminated food products (03): Worldwide ex China 20081020.3324
Melamine contaminated food products (02): Worldwide ex China 20081004.3129
Melamine contaminated food products - Worldwide ex China 20081002.3107
Melamine contamination, animal feed: RFI 20081001.3097
Infant kidney stones - China (04): WHO, international recall 20080919.2951
Infant kidney stones - China (03): melamine 20080917.2915
Infant kidney stones - China (02): Gansu, milk, melamine 20080912.2856
2007
Fish mortality - South Africa: melamine?, RFI 20070612.1919
Contaminated pet food - China: melamine 20070430.1403
Pet food fatalities, pets - USA, Canada, Mexico (03): melamine 20070330.1099]
........................................arn/mj/jw
http://home.comcast.net/~out1rider/page17.html
Muscovy Ducks
Muscovy are the only domestic ducks that do not come from Mallard stock. They are a South American species, originating from Brazil. The original (wild type) coloration is black and white, but domestication has produced many more colors. These colors include; blue, blue and white, chocolate, chocolate and white, white, black, black and white, lavender, and calical. Day old ducklings colors range from a solid pale yellow to yellow and black, the feet are yellow and black. Muscovy tend to hiss rather than quack.
The males can grow to be quite large, weighing 10-15 lbs. Most of the females are 5-7 pounds but can reach up to 9 and sometimes 10 lbs. Their feet have strong sharp claws and are built to grasp, so that they can perch on branches. Muscovy are unique because of their bright red crest around their eyes and above the beak. Although, often considered ugly because of these large red warty caruncles. They are, however, very personable, interesting birds. They are quite intelligent and entertaining.
Unlike most domestic waterfowl, Muscovy will often fly up and roost. They are very good flyers, especially the smaller females, but are known more for flying around than flying away. We have a hen that tours the neighborhood. Never landing anywhere but home. They do not swim much because their oil glands are under developed compared to most ducks. Muscovy hens can set three times a year, and the egg clutches can vary from 8 to 21 eggs. The egg are incubated for 35 days.
Muscovy when crossed with other breeds, produce sterile offspring. For instance, if you cross a Muscovy male with a Pekin female you will hatch mules; if you cross a Pekin male with a Muscovy female the progeny are called hinnies. Whereas a Pekin takes 28 days to hatch and a Muscovy takes 35 days, a mule or hinny takes 32 days to hatch.
Approximately 60% of mule ducks are males. Some of their characteristics are like the Muscovy as they are large, quiet, slow moving and have long claws but are also like Pekin as they swim well, the males and females are much the same size and they do not fly. Hinnies are not grown commercially. Males hinnies are much larger than female hinnies, like the Muscovy, yet the females look Pekin but fly quite well.
Mules and hinnies cannot reproduce. Both males are sterile and only the hinny females lay eggs (though they cannot hatch). If you have Muscovy and Pekin together, the chances are poor that they will cross but if they do, a hinny will probably be the result as Pekin males can catch Muscovy females easier than Muscovy males can catch Pekin females.
By the age of about three months, the males are nearly twice as large as the females. I don't know if this is always the case. But, I've found that in younger Muscovies, the feet of the males are often larger. It is quiet, a good forager and is naturally broody. Muscovy are good mothers and hatch and brood their ducklings efficiently.
Muscovy are my personal favorite. We had a hen that was sitting on a clutch of eggs. During the day from time to time she would leave the nest for food and or water. Before leaving she would cover her eggs. As she would start to leave one of our barn cats would come and lay on the eggs. If she was gone for awhile, that cat would leave the nest as a second cat would arrive to take over. When the hen returned, whichever cat was tending the nest would vacate for her. The cats never did bother the ducklings or the turkey chicks, as we sometimes use Muscovy hens to hatch turkeys eggs along with duck eggs.
Later in the year, this same Muscovy hen was attacked by a chicken. Causing a lost of sight in one eye. That winter her feet froze, and she lost both feet at the ankles. She became a pet carrier house pet for awhile. Early in the summer we put her back outside. By then both her feet scabbed over and healed. It took her awhile to figure out how to walk. She decided to walked backwards. She now has recovered, and is not picked on by any of the ducks, geese or chickens. She doesn't lay eggs anymore however.
She does hit the pond with all her buddies. And she is flying again. Jumping into the air with a wing flap lift. To land, she hovers just off the ground then lightly sets down. It was nice to watch her fly again. Prior to the attack, she would tour (flying) the neighborhood. Upon returning from her tour. If you were outside she would find you and fly just inches above your head before landing. All this never really handicapped her. What it did do is make her special. Not to mention the center of everyone's attention.
When raising Muscovy ducklings, keep in mind that they are very good climbers. Make sure that they will not burn themselves in the heat source should they climb the sides. Or, escape over the top if using an open brooder.
Many good links here:
Duckling Incubation, Hatching, & Brooding
General Information
Raising Ducks and Geese