Harmful Chemical Found Again in Haitai Brand
By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter
Authorities Sunday found traces of the industrial chemical melamine in another snack product ``Misarang Coconut'' sold here by Haitai Confectionary.
A melamine concentration of 271 parts-per-million was detected in the snack, which contains milk substances from China. The concentration is the highest level ever detected in products in circulation, the Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) said.
KFDA also said they will examine all products containing imported milk dairy and soybean-protein products from China.
The administration has so far confirmed melamine contamination in four products here ― ``Misarang Custard'' by Haitai Confectionary, ``Milk Rusk'' biscuits by J&J International from Hong Kong and Yuchang F.C.'s coffee creamer.
All the melamine-tainted products are to be taken off shelves and distribution and marketing of 304 dairy products imported from China has been banned until it completes an examination. It will disclose a list of products containing the toxic chemical on its homepage (www.kfda.go.kr).
Melamine was found in infant formula and other milk products from 22 Chinese dairy companies. It is reported that melamine-contaminated milk has killed four babies and left more than 50,000 children sick in China alone. Six children in Hong Kong and Macau have been found with kidney stones after drinking tainted Chinese milk.
Melamine is an industrial chemical, largely used to produce plastics and glues. But Chinese suppliers have allegedly added it to watered-down milk to cut costs because its high nitrogen content masks the resulting protein deficiency.
Health experts said ingesting a small amount of melamine poses no danger, but larger amounts can cause kidney stones and lead to kidney failure. Infants are particularly vulnerable.
Locally circulated products tainted by melamine may not be a serious threat to people's health due to their small amount of concentration but it is rather a psychological issue resulting from the fear that their food is contaminated by a harmful chemical, they say.
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI) of melamine is 0.63 milligram per kilogram of body weight. It means it is risky for a 20-kilogram baby to have more than 12.6 milligram of melamine daily.