"Serving hot food on melamine tableware could increase your exposure to melamine, a study released Monday in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine suggests."
"Melamine, an industrial chemical used in everyday items such as cooking utensils, plates, paperboard and industrial coatings can apparently seep into food when it's heated, the study said.
In two separate tests, researchers from Kaohsiung Medical University and Kaohsiung Municipal Hsiao-Kang Hospital in Taiwan served a dozen participants about two cups of hot noodle soup in melamine bowls and ceramic bowls. After participants ate out of the melamine bowls, the levels of melamine in their urine peaked six hours later, up to about 8 parts per billion, before tapering off later in the day. Those who ate out of ceramic bowls had on average less than 2 parts per billion. Researchers suggested some of the melamine detected after eating from the ceramic bowl was actually leftover melamine from first eating from the melamine bowl.
A person can have up to 2,500 parts per billion of melamine in their blood before it poses a health risk, according to the Food and Drug Administration."
Joseph Serna reports for the New York Times January 21, 2013.
