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China: Melamine tainted milk, current situation

Re: China: Melamine tainted milk, current situation

Hong Kong: No confirmed renal stone cases today [CHP]

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (October 2) did not receive new report from the Hospital Authority and private doctors of renal problems related to the consumption of melamine tainted milk products, a CHP spokesman said.


In the 24 hours to 1pm today, the CHP hotline 2125 1133 had received 174 enquiries from members of the public, bringing to 8,826 the number of calls received by the hotline since it was set up on September 21.

"A total of 2,906 callers claimed that they or their children had consumed milk products which were confirmed to have been adulterated with melamine, and 830 of the affected people, 448 males and 382 females aged from 1 to 71, claimed to have symptoms of renal problems including dysuria and changes in the frequency of urination.

"They have been advised to seek medical attention as soon as possible to ascertain if they were suffering from renal disease," the spokesman said.

The remaining 5,920 callers had no history of exposure to melamine adulterated milk products and just asked for general health advice.

The CHP hotline, which operates from 9am to 5pm daily, caters for individuals who have consumed milk products contaminated with melamine or those who are experiencing renal symptoms.
--

View Original Article
 
Re: China: Melamine tainted milk, current situation

Hong Kong: Latest test results of dairy product samples (with tables) [CFS]

The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) today (October 3) released the latest batch of results of melamine tests on dairy products.


Results available today showed that all the 92 samples tested were satisfactory.

These included Mainland-produced biscuits, chocolates, oatmeal, noodles, vermicelli, instant drink mixes and raw milk; and milk and milk beverages, ice-cream and cream produced in other places.

"The CFS has been testing each consignment of Mainland fresh milk since September 25. So far, 34 consignments of fresh milk were tested and all were satisfactory," a spokesman for the CFS said.

"We will continue to collect samples of dairy products and products with dairy ingredients for testing. Test results for some cakes, egg tarts, baby food, chocolates, instant drink mixes, milk, ice-cream, cream and nutrition supplements for hospital use will be available tomorrow."

Information on the test results can be found on the CFS's website, www.cfs.gov.hk.

For enquiries, members of the public can also call the CFS's enquiry number 2381 6096 which operates from 9am to 9pm daily.
--

View Original Article
 
Re: China: Melamine tainted milk, current situation

Hong Kong: No reports of renal stone cases today [CHP]

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (October 3) did not receive new reports from the Hospital Authority and private doctors of renal problems related to the consumption of melamine tainted milk products, a CHP spokesman said.


In the 24 hours up to 1pm today, the CHP hotline 2125 1133 had received 199 enquiries from members of the public, bringing to 9,025 the number of calls received by the hotline since it was set up on September 21.

"A total of 3,012 callers claimed that they or their children had consumed milk products which were confirmed to have been adulterated with melamine, and 855 of the affected people, 462 males and 393 females aged from 1 to 71, claimed to have symptoms of renal problems including dysuria and changes in the frequency of urination.

"They have been advised to seek medical attention as soon as possible to ascertain if they are suffering from renal disease," the spokesman said.

The remaining 6,013 callers had no history of exposure to melamine adulterated milk products and just asked for general health advice.

The CHP hotline, which operates from 9am to 5pm daily, caters for individuals who have consumed milk products contaminated with melamine or those who are experiencing renal symptoms.
--

View Original Article
 
Re: China: Melamine tainted milk, current situation

Hong Kong: No renal stone cases involving milk products today [CHP]

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (October 4) did not receive report from the Hospital Authority and private doctors of renal problems involving people with history of exposure to melamine tainted milk products, a CHP spokesman said.


In the 24 hours up to 1pm today, the CHP hotline 2125 1133 had received 118 enquiries from members of the public, and this brings to 9,143 the number of calls received by the hotline since it was set up on September 21.

"A total of 3,079 callers claimed that they or their children had consumed milk products which were confirmed to have been adulterated with melamine, and 874 of the affected people, 470 males and 404 females aged from 1 to 71, claimed to have symptoms of renal problems including dysuria and changes in the frequency of urination.

"They have been advised to seek medical attention as soon as possible to ascertain if they were suffering from renal disease," the spokesman said.

The remaining 6,064 callers had no history of exposure to melamine adulterated milk products and just asked for general health advice.

The CHP hotline, which operates from 9am to 5pm daily, caters for individuals who have consumed milk products contaminated with melamine or those who are experiencing renal symptoms.
--

View Original Article
 
Re: China: Melamine tainted milk, current situation

Hong Kong: No renal stone cases involving milk products today [CHP]

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (October 5) did not receive report from the Hospital Authority and private doctors of renal problems involving people with history of exposure to melamine tainted milk products, a CHP spokesman said.


In the 24 hours up to 1pm today, the CHP hotline 2125 1133 had received 44 enquiries from members of the public, and this brings to 9,187 the number of calls received by the hotline since it was set up on September 21.

"A total of 3,102 callers claimed that they or their children had consumed milk products which were confirmed to have been adulterated with melamine, and 882 of the affected people, 472 males and 410 females aged from 1 to 71, claimed to have symptoms of renal problems including dysuria and changes in the frequency of urination.

"They have been advised to seek medical attention as soon as possible to ascertain if they were suffering from renal disease," the spokesman said.

The remaining 6,085 callers had no history of exposure to melamine adulterated milk products and just asked for general health advice.

The CHP hotline, which operates from 9am to 5pm daily, caters for individuals who have consumed milk products contaminated with melamine or those who are experiencing renal symptoms.
--

View Original Article
 
Re: China: Melamine tainted milk, current situation

Hong Kong: Latest test results of dairy product samples (with tables) [CFS]

The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) today (October 5) released the latest batch of results of melamine tests on dairy products.

Results available today showed that of the 104 samples tested, 102 were satisfactory.

These included milk powder, nutrition supplements for hospital use, frozen confections, chocolates, milk beverages, cakes, buns and cream soup.

Details of the two unsatisfactory samples are as follows:

1. Cadbury Dairy Milk Cookies Chocolate Bulk Pack 5kg (expiry date: 2.11.2009); level of melamine detected 6.9ppm.

2. Cadbury Dairy Milk Hazelnut Chocolate Bulk Pack 5kg (expiry date: 23.1.2010); level of melamine detected 56ppm.

Under the Harmful Substances in Food (Amendment) Regulation 2008, the legal limit for melamine in these products is 2.5ppm.

"The importer of Cadbury has earlier recalled 11 products of the brand from the local market. The CFS, in following up, has collected samples of two of these products. The importer later provided another seven samples of six products to the CFS for investigations and testing. Apart from the two unsatisfactory samples and one satisfactory sample announced today, test results for the other five products are satisfactory and have been announced. For the remaining three products, the importer has no stock in hand and the CFS has not found them in the local market.

"We have informed the trade of the test results. The importer concerned has already recalled the products on September 29. The CFS has sent a warning letter to the importer. It would take out prosecution if there is sufficient evidence," a spokesman for the CFS said.

According to the US Food and Drug Administration, the safety reference value (i.e. tolerable daily intake - TDI) for melamine is 0.63mg per kg of body weight per day.

For children under the age of 36 months, as they are more sensitive to melamine, the TDI for melamine is 0.32mg per kg of body weight per day.

Transient excursion above the TDI of melamine would have no health consequences provided that the average intake over long period has not exceeded the TDI.

On the sample of Cadbury Dairy Milk Cookies Chocolate which was detected with a melamine level of 6.9ppm, the spokesman said a child weighing 10kg (about 3-year-old) would have to eat about 463.8g (about 77.3 small pieces) of the product a day to reach the TDI.

For an adult with average body weight of 60 kg, he will need to consume about 5478.3g (about 913 small pieces) of the product a day before reaching the TDI.

For the sample of Cadbury Dairy Milk Hazelnut Chocolate which was detected with a melamine level of 56ppm, the spokesman said a child weighing 10kg (about 3-year-old) would have to eat about 57.1g (about 9.5 small pieces) of the product a day to reach the TDI.

For an adult with average body weight of 60 kg, he will need to consume about 675g (about 112.5 small pieces) of the product a day before reaching the TDI.

"Based on the levels detected, the public is advised to stop consuming the products concerned," the spokesman said.

"So far, we have tested 48 samples of nutrition supplements for hospital use and all are satisfactory. We will continue to collect samples of dairy products and products with dairy ingredients for testing.

"Test results for some milk powder, soya drinks, yoghurt, butter, frozen confections, baby food, biscuits, cookies, milk and cream will be available tomorrow."

Information on the test results can be found on CFS's website www.cfs.gov.hk.

For enquiries, members of the public can also call CFS's enquiry number 2381 6096 which operates from 9am to 9pm daily.
--

View Original Article
 
Re: China: Melamine tainted milk, current situation

Hong Kong: No reports of renal stone cases today [CHP]

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (October 6) did not receive any reports from the Hospital Authority and private doctors of renal problems involving people with a history of exposure to melamine tainted milk products, a CHP spokesman said.


In the 24 hours up to 1pm today, the CHP hotline 2125 1133 had received 69 enquiries from members of the public, and this brings to 9,256 the number of calls received by the hotline since it was set up on September 21.

"A total of 3,129 callers claimed that they or their children had consumed milk products which were confirmed to have been adulterated with melamine, and 887 of the affected people, 474 males and 413 females aged from one to 71, claimed to have symptoms of renal problems including dysuria and changes in the frequency of urination.

"They have been advised to seek medical attention as soon as possible to ascertain if they were suffering from renal disease," the spokesman said.

The remaining 6,127 callers had no history of exposure to melamine adulterated milk products and just asked for general health advice.

The CHP hotline, which operates from 9am to 5pm daily, caters for individuals who have consumed milk products contaminated with melamine or those who are experiencing renal symptoms.
--

View Original Article
 
Re: China: Melamine tainted milk, current situation

China deploys dairy inspectors as more children sickened

40 minutes ago

BEIJING (AFP) ? China has deployed more than 5,000 inspectors to its dairy factories to improve food safety, state media reported Monday, as authorities said more children had been sickened by contaminated milk.

The nation's food safety watchdog dispatched inspectors across the country to make sure dairy products complied with food safety standards, the People's Daily reported.

The measure is the latest in a series aimed at containing the scandal which began when Chinese milk powder was found tainted with melamine, an industrial chemical normally used to make plastic and fertilisers.

So far, the tainted milk has sickened some 53,000 children and killed four in China as well as exposing the nation's lax food safety standards -- leading to import curbs on some Chinese products as far away as South America.

Melamine, when added to watered-down milk, makes it look richer in protein than it really is.

In the capital Beijing, 382 new cases linked to melamine-tainted milk were diagnosed in the past week alone, the state-run Beijing News reported, giving an indication of the ongoing scale of the problem.

A health ministry spokesman suggested the number of children affected with kidney stones could go up.

"We have the latest number of cases around the nation," he told AFP, "but for the time being, we are not releasing it to the public and the press." He refused to give a reason.

The dairy inspectors will check how raw materials and food additives are used, supervise sample testing of all batch of goods, and do quality control, the People's Daily said.

State media meanwhile urged authorities to dole out harsher penalties for those implicated in the milk scandal and in any other food safety issue that might arise in the future.

"From this and many other previous scandals, we see a need for the authorities to be harsher toward violators," the China Daily said in an editorial.

The newspaper said the government should come up with stern measures to teach businesses the "significance of being honest."

So far, at least 27 people have been arrested over the scandal, according to a previous report by the official Xinhua news agency.

The Beijing News called for the public to play a part in supervising food safety.

"It is only with the eagerness of public supervision that one can make up for the potential oversight of government monitoring and the unreliability of companies' self-discipline," the paper said in an editorial.

It suggested, for example, that testing labs be further opened up to members of the public.

The milk scandal continued to make waves around the world, with a number of countries banning or restricting milk products from China, and companies still discovering high levels of melamine in their products.

Iran became the latest country to ban imports of Chinese milk products, two days after Guyana pulled its Chinese-made dairy items off the market.

The European Union also recently banned all imports of Chinese milk-related products for children such as biscuits and chocolate on top of a long-standing embargo on Chinese dairy products like milk and yoghurt.

In Hong Kong, two Chinese-made chocolate products sold by the British sweet maker Cadbury were found to contain dangerous amounts of melamine.

South Korea, for its part, declared a large amount of Chinese-made kimchi, or spicy fermented cabbage, to be inedible due to banned or harmful additives, further adding to concerns over Chinese food.

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hEB0sJAKF5NYxfS9ZjjHRk225RKg
 
Re: China: Melamine tainted milk, current situation

Hong Kong: Latest test results of dairy product samples (with tables) [CFS]

The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) today (October 6) released the latest batch of results of melamine tests on dairy products.


Results available today showed that all the 110 samples tested were satisfactory.

These included milk powder, soya drinks, yoghurt, cheese, butter, frozen confections, baby food, biscuits, cookies, macaroni, milk and cream.

"Apart from formula for baby and growth, we have also collected samples of other milk powder for testing. So far, we have tested about 50 samples of other milk powder, including formula for adults, pregnant as well as lactating women, and all are satisfactory. We will continue to collect samples of dairy products and products with dairy ingredients for testing.

''Test results for some yoghurt, frozen confections, chocolates, nutrition supplements for hospital use and soup with cream will be available tomorrow,'' a spokesman for the CFS said.

Information on the test results can be found on the CFS's website, www.cfs.gov.hk.

For enquiries, people can also call the CFS's enquiry number 2381 6096.

As the number of callers has dropped in recent days, the manned hours of the enquiry line will be from 9am to 6pm daily, starting tomorrow (October 7).

The service hours for today remain 9am to 9pm.
--

View Original Article
 
Re: China: Melamine tainted milk, current situation

Hong Kong: Latest test results on melamine [CFS]

The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) today (October 7) released the latest batch of results of melamine tests. Results available today showed that all the 94 samples tested were satisfactory.


These included milk, yoghurt, frozen confections, chocolates, nutrition supplements for hospital use, soup with cream and canned meat products.

"So far, we have tested about 30 samples of yoghurt and cheese and all are satisfactory. We will continue to collect samples of dairy products and products with dairy ingredients for testing," a spokesman for the CFS said.

"Test results for some milk, peanut butter, salad dressings, frozen confections and nutrition supplements for hospital use will be available tomorrow."

Information on the test results can be found on the CFS's website, www.cfs.gov.hk.

For enquiries, members of the public can also call the CFS's enquiry number 2381 6096 which operates from 9am to 6pm daily.
--

View Original Article
 
Re: China: Melamine tainted milk, current situation

Hong Kong: No renal stone cases involving milk products today [CHP]

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (October 7) did not receive report from the Hospital Authority and private doctors of renal problems involving people with history of exposure to melamine tainted milk products, a CHP spokesman said.


In the 24 hours up to 1pm today, the CHP hotline 2125 1133 had received 78 enquiries from members of the public, and this brings to 9,334 the number of calls received by the hotline since it was set up on September 21.

"A total of 3,163 callers claimed that they or their children had consumed milk products which were confirmed to have been adulterated with melamine, and 894 of the affected people, 479 males and 415 females aged from 1 to 71, claimed to have symptoms of renal problems including dysuria and changes in the frequency of urination.

"They have been advised to seek medical attention as soon as possible to ascertain if they were suffering from renal disease," the spokesman said.

The remaining 6,171 callers had no history of exposure to melamine adulterated milk products and just asked for general health advice.

The CHP hotline, which operates from 9am to 5pm daily, caters for individuals who have consumed milk products contaminated with melamine or those who are experiencing renal symptoms.
--

View Original Article
 
Re: China: Melamine tainted milk, current situation

China milk victims may have doubled to over 90,000 | Reuters

China milk victims may have doubled to over 90,000

Wed Oct 8, 2008 3:45pm EDT
By Yu Le

BEIJING (Reuters) -

The toll of Chinese children ill from toxic milk formula may have nearly doubled since the Health Ministry's last public count, local media reports show, but an official said on Wednesday the number of new cases was falling.


Beijing is struggling with fallout from adulteration of milk with the industrial chemical melamine.

At home four babies have died, and thousands of infants fell sick, while around the world products made with Chinese milk have been recalled.

The government has not updated figures issued on September 21, when it said that 12,892 infants were in hospital, 104 with serious illness, and close to 40,000 others were affected but did not need major treatment.

But reports from local media across the country compiled by Reuters suggest the number of affected children has risen to nearly 94,000, although most are not in a serious condition.

In some areas diagnoses rocketed up in the space of just a few days.

In the most extreme case, northwestern Gansu province, the number of sick children climbed to 13,459 by Sept 26 from 1,695 a week earlier, the official Xinhua agency said.

Worst hit so far is central Henan province, with over 30,000 cases by the end of September. Neighboring Hebei also has nearly 16,000 cases. The province is home to Sanlu Dairy group, which made the contaminated formula that sparked the broader scandal.

Despite the rash of cases across the country -- few areas appear to have been entirely immune -- the government says it has the problem under control and recent checks have found no trace of melamine, the toxic additive, in liquid milk.

The number of sick children appearing at hospitals is also falling after news of the problem has blanketed domestic media and spread across the internet, prompting parents to take extra care about what they feed their children.

"The daily reports of infants who were diagnosed and hospitalized are decreasing noticeably, " said Chen Junshi, a researcher from Institute of Nutrition and Food Safety of Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

But he declined to say how many had been ill overall.

''I'm not authorized to publish the number of sick infants," he added at a news conference held by the Ministry of Health.

Even if the pace of new diagnoses is slowing, there is still room for a major leap in the total number of affected children because some of the country's most densely populated cities and provinces, like Shanghai, have not yet disclosed any figures.

NEW STANDARDS
Public worries about tainted milk have been diluted in the past two weeks, as China was transfixed by the country's first space walk and then enjoying the week-long National Day holiday.

But as part of an ongoing effort to restore confidence in the "made in China" brand, the government on Wednesday also released new dairy safety standards, that set limits on melamine, a cheap industrial chemical that can be used to cheat quality checks.

The limits set by the Ministry of Health's new standards are one milligram of melamine per kilogram for infant formula, 2.5 milligrams per kilogram for liquid milk, milk powder and food products containing at least 15 percent milk.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said earlier this month that no amount of melamine is safe in baby formula, but China said it has set levels low enough to protect its people's health.

"There is probably a little amount of melamine in the environment, " Wang Xuening, deputy director of the Health Ministry's Health Supervision Bureau, told the conference.

"So we couldn't set zero levels, " he said, adding that melamine content below the new limit is definitely not a threat to human health. Wang said the limits mainly aim to curb deliberate use of the chemical as an additive.Hebei province has already arrested 27 people suspected of involvement in contaminating milk with melamine. Sanlu group's chairwoman Tian Wenhua was also detained last month.

(Additional reporting by Liu Zhen; Editing by Bill Tarrant)
---
​
<cite cite="http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE497AGD20081008?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&sp=true">China milk victims may have doubled to over 90,000 | Reuters</cite>
 
Re: China: Melamine tainted milk, current situation

Hong Kong: Latest test results on melamine [CFS]

The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) today (October 9) released the latest batch of results of melamine tests.

Results available today showed that 78 of the 79 samples tested were satisfactory.

These included milk, frozen confections, biscuits, infant milk products for hospital use, instant drink mixes as well as condiments and sauces.

The sample found unsatisfactory is EDO Pack Almond Cacao Biscuit Sticks (Net weight: 36g (1.269 ounces), Best Before Date: 17.5.2009). The level of melamine detected was 8.5ppm. Under the Harmful Substances in Food (Amendment) Regulation 2008, the legal limit for melamine in the biscuit sticks is 2.5ppm.

"We have informed the food trade of the test results and asked them to stop selling the product with unsatisfactory result. We have also sent warning letters to retailers and the sole Hong Kong agent concerned, and the sole agent will recall the affected product. The CFS will take out prosecution if there is sufficient evidence," a spokesman for the CFS said.

According to the standards of the US Food and Drug Administration, the safety reference value (i.e. tolerable daily intake - TDI) for melamine is 0.63mg per kg of body weight per day. For children under the age of 3 years, as they are more sensitive to melamine, the TDI for melamine is 0.32mg per kg of body weight per day.

Transient excursion above the TDI of melamine would have no health consequences provided that the average intake over long period has not exceeded the TDI.

On the sample of biscuit sticks which was detected with a melamine level of 8.5ppm, the spokesman said a child weighing 10kg (about 3-year-old) would have to eat about 376.5g (about 10 packs) of the product a day to reach the TDI. For an adult with average body weight of 60 kg, he will need to consume about 4.45kg (about 124 packs) of the product a day before reaching the TDI.

"Based on the level detected, people are advised to stop consuming the product concerned," the spokesman said. "So far, we have tested more than 50 instant drink mix samples and all are satisfactory. We will continue to collect samples of dairy products and products with dairy ingredients for testing.

"Test results for milk and milk products, frozen confections, cream, biscuits and nutrition supplements for hospital use will be available tomorrow."

Information on the test results can be found on CFS's website www.cfs.gov.hk.

For enquiries, people can also call CFS's enquiry number 2381 6096 which operates from 9am to 6pm daily.
--

View Original Article
 
Re: China: Melamine tainted milk, current situation

Hong Kong: CHP receives a report of child with renal problems [CHP]

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health received notification from Kwong Wah Hospital of a case of a child with renal problems suspected to be related with the consumption of melamine tainted milk products.


A CHP spokesman said today (October 10) that the case involved a 10-year-old boy living in Yau Ma Tei. It was reported that he had consumed three to four packs (250 millilitre/pack) of "Yili" brand high calcium low fat milk beverage daily for the past six years.

As there were changes in his urinary frequency, his parents took him to Kwong Wah Hospital for medical checkup on October 6.

Two renal stones were found in his right kidney.

He is now under treatment and no hospitalisation is required. He is in stable condition.

The product concerned was earlier found by the Centre for Food Safety to have been adulterated with melamine, a chemical that could cause kidney stones leading to renal failure.

CHP is still investigating the case.

Meanwhile, in the 24 hours up to 1pm today, the CHP hotline 2125 1133 had received 62 enquiries from members of the public, and this brings to 9,491 the number of calls received by the hotline since it was set up on September 21.

"A total of 3,215 callers claimed that they or their children had consumed milk products which were confirmed to have been adulterated with melamine, and 915 of the affected people, 493 males and 422 females aged from 1 to 71, claimed to have symptoms of renal problems including dysuria and changes in the frequency of urination.

"They have been advised to seek medical attention as soon as possible to ascertain if they were suffering from renal disease," the spokesman said.

The remaining 6,276 callers had no history of exposure to melamine adulterated milk products and just asked for general health advice.

The CHP hotline, which operates from 9am to 5pm daily, caters for individuals who have consumed milk products contaminated with melamine or those who are experiencing renal symptoms.
--

View Original Article
 
Re: China: Melamine tainted milk, current situation

Hong Kong: Latest test results on melamine [CFS]

The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) today (October 10) released the latest batch of results of melamine tests.


Results showed that all the 99 samples tested were satisfactory.

These included milk and milk products, frozen confections, cream, biscuits and nutrition supplements for hospital use.

''Test results for milk and milk products, frozen confections, baby food, biscuits and chocolate will be available tomorrow.'' a spokesman for the CFS said.

''The CFS adopts a risk-based approach in collecting and analysing food samples for melamine. This has enabled us to have a systematic and comprehensive surveillance of products likely to be affected by melamine.''

''We have completed one round of sampling for all milk powder commonly available in the local market, including infant formula, pregnant women's formula, follow-up and children's formula. Sampling for milk products and frozen confections from the Mainland and local factories has also been completed.''

''For milk and frozen confections from overseas, tests of samples found in the market are expected to be completed within this week.In addition, we have tested more than 700 samples of other food or drinks with dairy ingredients.''

The centre would continue to test food items with dairy ingredients.

Products may be re-checked if necessary, such as those found to contain melamine by overseas authorities or other organisations, the spokesman said.

''The CFS plans to continue its sampling and laboratory analyses from Monday to Saturday starting this week. Results of samples submitted on a Saturday will be available the next Monday, so there will be no announcement of results on Sundays.'' the spokesman said.

''However, we will, as usual, test each consignment of Mainland fresh milk daily upon importation. The consignment will be allowed to enter the market only when it has passed the test.''

Information on the test results can be found on the CFS's website, www.cfs.gov.hk.

For enquiries, people can also call the CFS's enquiry number 2381 6096 which operates from 9am to 6pm daily.
--

View Original Article
 
Re: China: Melamine tainted milk, current situation

Hong Kong: New case of renal stone found in child (10/14/2008) [CHP]

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is investigating a case of a child with renal stones suspected to be related to the consumption of melamine tainted products.


The case was reported by the Hospital Authority.

This is the seventh case of its kind reported to the CHP.

The case involves a two-and-a half-year-old boy living in Southern District.It was reported that the boy has a history of consuming milk and biscuits adulterated with melamine. He has no symptoms of renal problems. His parents took him to a Hospital Authority special assessment centre for a medical check-up and two renal stones were found in his right kidney. He is in stable condition and hospitalisation is not required.

In the 24 hours to 1pm today, the CHP hotline 2125 1133 had received 57 enquiries from members of the public, and this brings to 9,658 the number of calls received by the hotline since it was set up on September 21.

"A total of 3,298 callers claimed that they or their children had consumed milk products which were confirmed to have been adulterated with melamine, and 942 of the affected people, 505 males and 437 females aged from one to 71, claimed to have symptoms of renal problems including dysuria and changes in the frequency of urination.

"They have been advised to seek medical attention as soon as possible to ascertain if they are suffering from renal disease," the spokesman said.

The remaining 6,360 callers had no history of exposure to melamine adulterated milk products and just asked for general health advice.

The CHP hotline, which operates from 9am to 5pm daily, caters for individuals who have consumed milk products contaminated with melamine or those who are experiencing renal symptoms.
--

View Original Article
 
Re: China: Melamine tainted milk, current situation

Hong Kong: Latest test results for melamine (10/14/2008) [CFS]

The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) today (October 14) released the latest batch of results of melamine tests.


''Results available today showed that of the 115 samples tested, 114 were satisfactory. These included milk and milk products, biscuits, chocolates, instant drink mixes, condiments and curry food.

''The sample found unsatisfactory is Doraemon Chocolate Gummy (Muscat Flavour) (net weight: 50g, expiry date: 19.8.2009). The level of melamine detected was 12ppm. Under the Harmful Substances in Food (Amendment) Regulation 2008, the legal limit for melamine in the chocolate gummy is 2.5ppm.

"We have informed the food trade of the test results and asked them to stop selling the product with the unsatisfactory result. We have also sent warning letters to the retailer and the importer concerned. The CFS will take out prosecution if there is sufficient evidence," a spokesman for the CFS said.

According to the standards of the US Food and Drug Administration, the safety reference value (i.e. tolerable daily intake - TDI) for melamine is 0.63mg per kg of body weight per day.

For children under the age of three years, who are more sensitive to melamine, the TDI for melamine is 0.32mg per kg of body weight per day.

Transient excursion above the TDI of melamine would have no health consequences provided that the average intake over a long period has not exceeded the TDI.

''On the sample of Doraemon Chocolate Gummy (Muscat Flavour) which was detected with a melamine level of 12ppm, the spokesman said a child weighing 10kg (about three years old) would have to eat about 266.7g (about five packs) of the product a day to reach the TDI. An adult with average body weight of 60kg would need to consume about 3.15kg (about 63 packs) of the product a day before reaching the TDI.

"Based on the level detected, people are advised to stop consuming the product concerned," the spokesman said.

"We will continue to collect samples of dairy products and products with dairy ingredients for testing," a spokesman for the CFS said.

"Test results for some milk and milk products, frozen confections, cheese, biscuits and cakes will be available tomorrow."

Information on the test results can be found on the CFS's website, www.cfs.gov.hk.

For enquiries, people can also call the CFS's enquiry number 2381 6096 which operates from 9am to 6pm daily.
--

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Re: China: Melamine tainted milk, current situation

Hong Kong: New case of renal stone found in child (10/15/2008) [CHP]

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is investigating a case of a child with a renal stone suspected to be related to the consumption of melamine tainted milk products.


The case was reported by a private hospital.

This is the eighth case of its kind reported to the CHP.

The case involves an eight-year-old boy living in Yuen Long. It was reported that the boy has a history of consuming milk adulterated with melamine. He has found blood in his urine. His parents took him to a private hospital for assessment and a renal stone was found in his right kidney. He was admitted to Princess Margaret Hospital and is in stable condition.

In the 24 hours to 1pm today, the CHP hotline 2125 1133 had received 41 enquiries from members of the public, and this brings to 9,699 the number of calls received by the hotline since it was set up on September 21.

"A total of 3,323 callers claimed that they or their children had consumed milk products which were confirmed to have been adulterated with melamine, and 954 of the affected people, 510 males and 444 females aged from one to 71, claimed to have symptoms of renal problems including dysuria and changes in the frequency of urination.

"They have been advised to seek medical attention as soon as possible to ascertain if they were suffering from renal disease," the spokesman said.

The remaining 6,376 callers had no history of exposure to melamine adulterated milk products and just asked for general health advice.

The CHP hotline, which operates from 9am to 5pm daily, caters for individuals who have consumed milk products contaminated with melamine or those who are experiencing renal symptoms.
--

View Original Article
 
Re: China: Melamine tainted milk, current situation

Italy sees high melamine risk in seized Chinese milk

Thu Oct 16,2008



About a ton of smuggled Chinese powdered milk seized in the Italian city of Naples is likely to be contaminated with the industrial chemical melamine, Italian authorities said on Thursday.

"About a ton of milk (contaminated) with melamine coming from China has been seized in Naples," Agriculture Minister Luca Zaia said on a state radio program.

The Forest Corps, Italy's environmental police, said in a statement there was a "high risk" that the seized milk was contaminated with melamine because it was found in packages which usually contained tainted milk.

But a corps official whose unit impounded the milk in the southern Italian city told Reuters checks were needed to determine if it was in fact contaminated.

The seized powder milk had been smuggled into Italy because its import has been banned, he said.

Dozens of countries consuming products with Chinese dairy ingredients have banned their import, recalled products or imposed strict checks after thousands of Chinese children were made sick from drinking tainted infant milk formula.

Police who have sifted through numerous containers of Asian origin in the Naples port area during "Red Lanterns" raid have seized about 20 tons of food products which did not comply to the European Union traceability standards, the statement said.

The products, including Chinese dairy products, would be destroyed, the statement said.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081016...1&printer=1;_ylt=ApXubTEg5XemE.t8fLFXtrkR.3QA
 
Re: China: Melamine tainted milk, current situation

Mitsui & Co. Finds Melamine Contamination From Eggs (Update1)

By Taku Kato and Megumi Yamanaka

Oct. 16 (Bloomberg) -- Mitsui & Co., a Japanese trading company, said eggs it imported from China were found to be contaminated with traces of melamine.

Tests that Tokyo-based Mitsui conducted found 2.8 to 4.6 parts per million of the industrial chemical, the trading house said in a release on its Web site. The trader imported 20 tons of dried eggs, of which 19.6 tons that were stored in warehouses were discarded, it said.

Mitsui imported the eggs from Dalian Hanwei Enterprise Group, a Chinese food manufacturer based in Dalian city, and sold them to Q.P. Egg Corp., a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Q.P. Corp., according to the statement.

The remaining 400 kilograms were sold to an end user through Q.P. Eggs and melamine wasn't found in the finished products, Q.P. Eggs said in a statement on its Web site.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601101&sid=aD.ui5krR5_c
 
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