| Melamine is widely used in combination with formaldehyde to produce melamine resin and melamine foam for countertops, glues, house wares and flame retardants. Melamine became a topic in 2007 when hundreds of pets died because of contaminated pet food. In September 2008 melamine was found in milk and infant formula produced by Chinese dairy companies, which led to kidney stones and other renal failure among young children in China. More than 50000 people had become ill, with 4 infant deaths and more than 12800 hospitalizations.  Melamine has been added into raw milk and feed to give appearance of higher protein content than the true value. Melamine by itself is nontoxic in low doses, but when combined with cyanuric acid it can cause fatal bladder and kidney stones due to the formation of an insoluble melamine cyanurate. Widespread monitoring of food and feed products showed melamine contamination of diverse products like dairy products, biscuits, eggs and pet food. Food safety organizations and consumers are worried about more food products contaminated with the chemical melamine. A threshold for melamine in food is, depending on the country, mostly 2.5 ppm and 1 ppm for infant products. Since quite high melamine levels were found in feed, a 2.5 ppm threshold has been established.
Romer Labs® offers ELISA tests and reference materials for melamine testing. | 
