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Asian Baby Death Toll From Infant Formula Rises

FDA claims U.S. formula is safe, despite pet deaths last year

By Joseph S. Enoch
ConsumerAffairs.com

September 18, 2008

• Virginia Child's Kidney Problems May Be Due to Melamine-Tainted Candy • Chinese Companies Pay $160 Million Over Melamine Scandal • Topaz Wafer Rolls Recalled on Melamine Fears • Melamine Triggers Recall of Cocoa from Canada • Vietnam Company Recalls Biscuits Due to Melamine • USDA Will Test Meat Products for Melamine • Melamine Found in Walgreens Chocolate Bars • Chinese Infant Death Toll from Tainted Formula Rises • Some Melamine in Infant Formula is OK, FDA Says • FDA Finds Melamine in U.S. Infant Formula • FDA Blocks Chinese Products Over Melamine Fears • Melamine Scandal Continues to Expand • FDA's Melamine Decision Scares Consumers • DeLauro Raps FDA On Melamine Risk Guidelines • FDA Issues Report On Melamine and Food Safety • Melamine-Tainted Chinese Candy Shows Up in U.S. • Hershey's Says Chocolates Are Safe from Chinese Melamine Scandal • Cadbury Recalls Chinese-Made Chocolates Due to Melamine • Melamine Scare Spreads to Mr. Brown Coffee • Chinese Gorillas Fall Ill as Melamine Scandal Widens • FDA Updates Chinese Infant Formula Warning • Asian Baby Death Toll From Infant Formula Rises • FDA Issues Warning on Chinese-Made Infant Formula

While babies continue to die and be hospitalized by tainted formula in Asia, the Food and Drug Administration says formula in the U.S. does not contain the dangerous chemical found in the Chinese product.

At least three babies have died in China from acute kidney failure and more than 6,200 others have fallen ill while at least 158 are in critical condition after consuming baby formula that contained the dangerous chemical melamine.

At least 22 dairy producers that exported to many parts of the world are involved in a quickly widening corruption scandal involving the Chinese government that exempted at least some of those manufacturers from any testing, according to The Washington Post.

Melamine is used to make chemicals and fertilizer, but has sometimes been used to boost the apparent protein levels when illegally combined with food. That combination was proven deadly last year when thousands of pets, many in the U.S., died because Chinese companies that exported pet food components to the U.S. mixed it into their recipes.

Chinese parents told The New York Times they are outraged manufacturers would not only use a chemical that is illegal when combined with food, but that they would use it only a year after the same unscrupulous practice killed dogs and cats.

Although the companies distributed their products to many parts of the world, especially in Asia, an FDA spokeswoman assured ConsumerAffairs.com baby formula in the U.S. is safe.

"All makers of infant formula that can be legally marketed in the United States have confirmed that they do not use milk products from China in the manufacture of their products," Stephanie Kwisnek wrote in an e-mail.

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