Earlier alerts involved a number of chickens and some pigs, as well as a number of pet foods which can be found listed here: http://www.fda.gov/opacom/7alerts.html and http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/petfood.html See earlier posts to the FHL for how melamine-cyanuric acid crystals form in urine. I hadn't even thought of eggs from melamine fed chickens but they get mentioned today even though I can't recall them being mentioned earlier. New FDA recall: http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2007/NEW01643.html > FDA News > FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE > > P07-94 > > May 30, 2007 > > Media Inquiries: > 301-827-6242 > Consumer Inquiries: > 888-INFO-FDA > > > Tembec and Uniscope Voluntary Recall Feed Ingredients > >FDA Asks Feed Manufacturers to Avoid Ingredients Containing Melamine > >The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is alerting livestock and >fish/shrimp feed manufacturers about a voluntary recall of products >used in feed production because several have been found to contain >melamine and related compounds. > >The feed ingredients were made by Tembec BTLSR Inc. of Toledo, Ohio >and Uniscope, Inc. of Johnstown, Colo. > >Tembec, a contract manufacturer for Uniscope, makes AquaBond and >Aqua-Tec II, which it distributes for Uniscope. Uniscope makes Xtra- >Bond using ingredients supplied by Tembec. All of the products are >binding agents that are used to make pelleted feed for cattle, sheep, >and goats, or fish and shrimp. > >The companies have confirmed that Tembec added melamine as part of >the formulation of the products to improve the binding properties of >pelleted feed. Melamine is not approved as an additive for animal or >fish/shrimp feed. > >The companies have stopped adding melamine to the feed products. > >Based on the levels of melamine and related compounds in the initial >ingredients, FDA estimated the probable level of melamine and related >compounds in livestock feed as less than 50 parts per million (ppm) >based on the recommended mix rate of two to four pounds of binding >agent per ton of livestock feed. The estimated levels in fish and >shrimp feed are less than 233 ppm and 465 ppm, respectively, of >melamine and related compounds. The estimated levels of melamine and >related compounds vary in the livestock feed and the fish and shrimp >feed because of differing levels of melamine in the binding agents >used for each type of feed. > >FDA advises feed manufacturers and others who mix their own feed not >to use these products, and to contact the manufacturers. FDA advises >feed manufacturers to recall finished feed that is made from AquaBond >or Aqua-Tec II due to the estimated levels of melamine and related >compounds in the finished products. FDA believes that no recall is >warranted of the finished feed made from Xtra-Bond based on the >estimated levels of melamine and related compounds in the finished >product and based on currently available data and information. > >The estimated melamine levels in feed made with these binding agents >are similar to the levels discussed in the interim safety/ risk >assessment of melamine and related compounds made available by FDA >earlier this month. In that assessment, federal scientists determined >that, based on currently available data and information, the >consumption of pork, chicken, domestic fish, and eggs from animals >inadvertently fed animal feed contaminated with melamine and its >analogues is very unlikely to pose a human health risk. > >The interim safety/risk assessment concludes that in the most extreme >risk assessment scenario, when scientists assumed that all the solid >food a person consumes in an entire day contained melamine and the >melamine compound cyanuric acid in equal amounts, the potential >exposure is about 250 times lower than the dose considered safe. This >is a large safety margin. Translated to consumption levels, this means >that a person weighing 132 pounds would have to eat more than 800 >pounds per day of food containing melamine and its compounds to >approach a level of consumption that would cause a health concern. > >FDA is encouraging domestic feed suppliers to be vigilant in quality >control in their supply chain and to monitor for any improper >additives, including melamine and its analogs. > >The Tembec and Uniscope products also reportedly contain a urea >formaldehyde resin-type ingredient, a raw ingredient used to make the >binding agent in these products. FDA is investigating this use of the >urea formaldehyde resin-type ingredient in the Tembec and Uniscope >products, and will take appropriate regulatory action if warranted. Sukie (not a vet) Recommended ferret health links: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/ http://ferrethealth.org/archive/ http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/ http://www.ferretcongress.org/ http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html For those who want a ***good laugh*** along with some logical thoughts about critical thinking, many of which can also be applied to some health claims (since everyone deserves a break and a smile): http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/crackpot.html [Posted in FML 5624]