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Chinese Gorillas Fall Ill as Melamine Scandal Widens

More exported foods test positive for dangerous chemicals

By Lisa Wade McCormick
ConsumerAffairs.com

September 25, 2008

Infant Formula • 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 • Texas Stops Sale of Mislabeled Infant Formula • Texas Halts Contaminated Infant Formula Shipments To Mexico • Chinese Infant Formula Alert

Two gorillas in China may be the latest victims in that country's melamine-tainted milk scandal, according to Reuters news service.

Both gorillas had eaten milk power made by the company at the heart of the scandal--Sanlu Group--and now show signs of kidney stones.

Doctors say melamine can cause kidney stones and lead to kidney failure. The two gorillas in China that drank the tainted-milk powder now have symptoms of kidney problems, according news sources.

Doctors at Hangzhou Wildlife World say the gorillas--ages one and three--have been diagnosed with crystallization in their urine.

"The crystallization now is very small, but it will grow bigger and then block the urine," Zhang Xu, a doctor from the animal hospital where the two gorillas were being treated, was quoted as saying.

"No visible stones have been found so far," he added.

The melamine-tainted infant formula is blamed for the deaths of four babies in China – and the illnesses in 53,000 others in that country.

In related news, the Associated Press is reporting that melamine has turned up in several Chinese-made exports around the world, including candy and yogurt;

The British supermarket chain Tesco this week removed Chinese-made White Rabbit Creamy Candies from it shelves. That action came after samples of the candy in Singapore and New Zealand tested positive for melamine.

Earlier this week, Singapore's Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority recalled White Rabbit candies.

It also said more Chinese-made food had tested positive for melamine, including Dutch Lady-brand banana and honeydew flavored milk, Silang-brand potato crackers, and two kinds of puffed rice balls, according to AP.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has added White Rabbit candy to its list of products being inspected at ports of entry. But no melamine-tainted goods from China have turned up.

Some ethnic grocers, however, are now removing these candies from their shelves.

More than a dozen countries have banned or recalled Chinese dairy products, according to the Association Press.

Indonesia has also distributed a list of 28 products that may contain melamine-tainted Chinese milk, including Oreo cookies, Snickers bars and M&M chocolate candies.

Melamine is a chemical used to make plastics and fertilizers. It was also the chemical blamed for the illnesses and deaths of thousands of pets in the United States last year.

"No known threat"

Meanwhile, the FDA said there is no known threat of melamine contamination in infant formula made by companies in the United States.

Those companies are not importing formula or sourcing milk-based materials from China, the FDA said.

FDA officials, however, have warned consumers that infant formula made in China--and possibly sold at Asian markets across the country--could pose a risk to infants.

The FDA also warned consumers not to buy Chinese-made infant formula on the Internet or from other sources.

In recent weeks, the FDA has searched more than 1,000 Asian markets nationwide for Chinese-made infant formula. FDA investigators--working with state and local officials--have not found any of those products on store shelves.

The FDA has also broadened its sampling and testing of products that contain milk-derived ingredients from Chinese sources. Those products include candies, desserts, and beverages.

Any products that contain melamine will not be allowed to enter the U.S. food supply.

China has vowed to better enforce checks at every stage of food production -- and step up efforts to protect consumers. China's premier has vowed to meet international standards.

AP quoted Premier Wen Jiabao as saying: "We want to make sure that our products and our food will not only meet the domestic and international standards, but also meet the specific requirements of the import countries."

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