Review of melamine scandal: still a long way ahead

Abstract

In September 2008, in China, tens of thousands of children were hospitalized, several even died, as a result of infant-formula milk adulterated with a synthetic chemical compound, melamine, and in the next few months, this crisis became the focus of attention worldwide. Although there are a number of articles about melamine toxicity on different species of animals, the long-term effect of melamine on humans is still unknown. Besides, several recent in vitro studies indicated that melamine can damage cells of other parts of the body, including the central nervous system, breaking the previous view that melamine toxicity is limited to the urinary system. Hence, we strongly recommend a long-term follow-up for the overall health status of the victims, not confined to kidneys, to minimize the potential toxic effects in their later life; and research to study the specific mechanism of melamine should be encouraged.