How safe is the use of Melamine Dishware?

Details: Category: Region 9; Published: 10 February 2022

Lately, it has been a common sight for households to have plastic flatware/dishwares made from melamine. This is because it is cheaper and comes in various designs but has been a center of controversy for years now especially when used as a food ware. Melamine dishware is commonly known as Melaware and by chance, a byproduct of the coal industry. It is utilized within the fabrication of plates, glasses, bowls, utensils, plastic items, mechanical coatings, and paper items. In some countries, it has been used as a fertilizer but not approved for use in the U.S. Now, let us scrutinize more about Melamine and try to figure out if it does have bad implications for our overall health.

Melamine is a nitrogen-based compound utilized by numerous producers to form a number of items, particularly plastic dishware. This too has been used as materials in making utensils, countertops, plastic products, dry-erase boards, and paper products. While melamine is broadly found in many things, a few individuals have raised safety concerns that the compound might be toxic. The safety issue is that melamine can move from the plates to foods and lead to accidental consumption. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has conducted safety tests on melamine items. The assessment includes measuring the amount of melamine mixed into foods when melamine material is kept at high temperatures against the foods for a certain period. The FDA did discover that acidic foods, such as orange juice or tomato-based items, tended to have higher levels of melamine reactions than non-acidic ones.

Whereas there's a threat of melamine spilling into food from serving containers, the chance is low. Most of it is used up within the fabricating handle. A few melamine is cleared out after fabricating and can spill into the foods or drinks that come into contact with it. This doesn’t happen under normal circumstances. But with food that's acidic — such as orange juice or tomatoes — and is warmed for long periods of time, a little melamine can move into the food. Indeed, when this does happen, contamination is at very low levels — almost 250 times less than the level that the FDA considers safe for nourishments other than infant formula. Melamine is considered safe for serving and eating food, but food shouldn’t be microwaved in dishes that contain this chemical. So, if you ought to heat or reheat food using a microwave, do so in containers that are labeled as microwave-safe.

If and when frequent consumption of high melamine levels, these individuals are at risk of developing kidney conditions or even kidney failure. Based on the data available, there are no known signs of melamine toxicity in humans, but it was observed on animal tests and symptoms include blood in urine, high blood pressure, irritability, little to no urine production, and urgent need to urinate.

The bottom line is that melamine could be a type of plastic found in numerous reusable plates, utensils, and glasses. The FDA has ruled that melamine is safe for use, but that you simply shouldn’t utilize it in a microwave oven. However, in case you’re concerned about melamine exposure from dishware, there are other alternatives out there that you can use depending upon your preference.

NO II Joanna Marie E. Baltazar, RND

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