Melamine does not crack, which makes it an excellent choice for tableware, but a study shows that it contaminates food when heated.

Melamine is widely used in fertilizers and in the manufacture of plastic resins. Under normal circumstances, it is usually a stable compound. In the United States, melamine is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the manufacture of cookware, plastic and paper products. According to the FDA, it can also be used in food packaging, but it is not approved as an additive for human food or animal feed. Continuous low-dose exposure to this chemical is associated with kidney stones in children and adults. In 2008, a scandal broke out in China when melamine powder was added to infant formula to increase the protein content of food, resulting in 50,000 hospitalizations and 6 deaths.

In the latest study published in JAMA Internal Medicine, researchers from Taiwan focused on the stability of melamine tableware at high temperatures and studied the total excretion of melamine in urine after volunteers drank hot noodle soup in a melamine bowl .

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In their small experiment, the researchers asked 12 healthy volunteers to consume 500 ml of hot noodle soup, whether in a melamine bowl or a ceramic bowl. All participants provided urine samples before meals and every two hours after drinking the soup for up to 12 hours. After a three-week "elimination" period, the two groups switched. Those who ate in melamine bowls ate ceramic bowls of soup, and vice versa. Researchers report that the total excretion of melamine in the urine of people who used melamine bowls was 8.35 micrograms, while those who used ceramic bowls had 1.31 micrograms.

It is not clear whether the amount released from the melamine bowl is sufficient to cause health problems, but the researchers say that the results of the study are worrying. More research should be done on this compound, especially when the tableware may be heated by the microwave or hold hot food. Under normal eating conditions.

The author also warns that the level of melamine released may vary from brand to brand, so not every variety has the same amount of leaching.

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"There are few opportunities to understand this in humans. Most of the knowledge we know comes from animal research, but it is a toxic substance and should be treated with caution from a public health perspective," said Director Dr. Ken Spaeth, Manha, New York Researchers at the Occupational and Environmental Medicine Center of North Shore University Hospital in Sete have nothing to do with the study. "This is a very small study, but it raises questions. It shows that this chemical can migrate from kitchenware to food and into our body, and can reach higher levels than we previously thought."

In 1999, after studying existing data, the World Health Organization (WHO) stated that the compound may have carcinogenic effects in animals, but concluded that the data involving human subjects is still incomplete. In 2008, in response to China’s infant formula panic, the FDA agreed and reported that data on melamine and its potential health hazards were too uncertain, and the agency was unable to set limits on compounds in food packaging. But the FDA does state that levels below 1.0 ppm will not cause health problems. "As far as science is telling us, it is too early to sound the alarm, but we can take reasonable caution," Speth said. "If someone is worried, they can reduce their exposure by not buying melamine cookware, heating the food in it, or storing it for a long time." When it comes to protecting your health, it's not just what you eat, but what you eat is also important.