# Melamine Dishes



## Laurie73 (Feb 23, 2006)

Ugh! If it's not one things, it's another. I just realized today that the bowls and plates I use to feed my 2 year old DS are made of melamine. I never microwave them or put them in the dishwasher, but he always eats off of them, especially a lot of pasta with tomato sauce that apparently can cause leaching? I have just been reading about it and now my head is pounding. I feel like I try my hardest to be safe, but I turn around and something else I am doing is unhealthy. Guess that is what I get for picking up the cheap and cute Target plates for him. : (


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## summerforever1977 (Sep 27, 2008)

How did you figure out they have malamine? I just threw out my pots and pans that are Teflon, opting for cast iron because of the carcinogens and I feel the same way that one thing or another is endangering or potentially endangering our health. I don't even know about melamine! Please educate me...


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## Laurie73 (Feb 23, 2006)

The bottom of the plates I had had melanine imprinted on the bottom. I am certainly no expert when it comes to it, but I do know that it was the culprit in the milk fatalities in China a few years ago and in the pet food incident from 2007? Apparently, the resin, which is made with formaldehyde (!) is what is made into plates, bowls and etc for kids. I also read that when the plates come into contact with acidic foods like tomato sauce and pizza that is when leaching of toxins can occur. I am not a scientist by any stretch, but just reading this scares me. of course, I feed my DS off of those plates ALL the time...including pizza and tomato sauce. Now they are tossed and he is eating off of my Fiesta ware.


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## Llyra (Jan 16, 2005)

This is an issue I'm only just learning about. Does anybody know how to recognize whether a children's dish or bowl is made of this material?

I have some children's dishes made out of #5 plastic, and then some others that are like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Sleeping-Beaut...909087&sr=8-19

Are either of those the ones we're talking about?


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## Anastasiya (Jun 13, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Llyra* 
I have some children's dishes made out of #5 plastic, and then some others that are like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Sleeping-Beaut...909087&sr=8-19

Are either of those the ones we're talking about?

Yes, that plate and bowl are melamine. The cup is not.
Check this out too.


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## dogretro (Jun 17, 2008)

You can tell melamine b/c it is a hard white plastic. We use a mix of melamine and #5 plastic for plates and bowls.


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## MariesMama (Sep 26, 2008)

I'm confused ... I thought the main issue with the melamine/formula issue was that it was a non-food substance being put in food. Not nutritious, bad for internal organs, but so is eating ground glass or ceramic. I wasn't aware that it was poisonous for daily use if not exposed to high temperatures.


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## Laurie73 (Feb 23, 2006)

Ugh..so I guess I can be certain I have been umknowingly poisioning my DS with formaldehyde since he has eaten his cereal with milk, his pasta and meatballs, you name it out of the bowls and dishes. What now? How do I reverse any damage that may have been done?


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## texaspeach (Jun 19, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MariesMama* 
I'm confused ... I thought the main issue with the melamine/formula issue was that it was a non-food substance being put in food. Not nutritious, bad for internal organs, but so is eating ground glass or ceramic. I wasn't aware that it was poisonous for daily use if not exposed to high temperatures.









:


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## Anastasiya (Jun 13, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MariesMama* 
I'm confused ... I thought the main issue with the melamine/formula issue was that it was a non-food substance being put in food. Not nutritious, bad for internal organs, but so is eating ground glass or ceramic. I wasn't aware that it was poisonous for daily use if not exposed to high temperatures.

Melamine is made of both melamine and formaldehyde. According to the article I linked to above, _"This week, health officials in Indonesia ran tests of 62 samples of melamine plates, bowls, spoons and forks. The head of the country's Food and Drug Monitoring Agency said that "30 of them released formaldehyde when used for anything hot, watery or acidic," the Jakarta Globe reported."_ So it seems any foods that are hot, wet or acidic can cause the formaldehyde to leach from the dishes. Problem is, you can't tell which melamine dishes will allow the leaching and which won't.

My solution: Use none.


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