A scandal surrounding milk containing melamine, a chemical used to make plastics and fertilizer surfaced. not long after the scandal about a diet pill that caused health problem. In China, thousands of children have developed kidney stones or other illnesses after drinking contaminated baby formula and a few deaths have been blamed on the bad milk. The unscrupulous manufacturers trying to cut costs are believed to have diluted their milk while adding melamine because its high nitrogen content can fool tests aimed at verifying protein levels.
Since the scandal erupted earlier this month, melamine-tainted products have also turned up in an increasing number of Made in China products - from candies to yogurt to rice balls. The list of products caught in the tainted milk scandal grew to include baby cereal, snack foods and vegetables. The woes were the latest blow to China’s troubled manufacturing industry, which came under intense scrutiny last year after melamine and other industrial toxins were found in exports ranging from toothpaste to a pet food ingredient.
This time, the products of some of the international name brands who have their manufacturing plants in China were also cited. It’s probably the busiest time for the Branding managers. Health experts say ingesting a small amount of melamine poses no danger, but in larger doses, the chemical can cause kidney stones and lead to kidney failure. Infants are particularly vulnerable.