From:
Sukie Crandall
Date: 2007-04-20 23:48:29 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] the beginning or studying how melamine might affect meat products
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com, ferret-l@LISTSERV.FERRETMAILINGLIST.ORG
Too many things to report on today... I am sorry for sending so many
pieces of mail.
Many thanks to Sydney who sent this for me to share:
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/s_503671.html
A few snippets:
BEGIN QUOTES
Karen Roebuck
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, April 20, 2007
...
Researchers also have identified three other contaminants...
including cyanuric acid, a chemical commonly used in pool
chlorination, three researchers told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
Cyanuric acid is what most likely sickened pets, one researcher said.
[Later in the article it says that these are by-products from the
melamine.]
...
tested positive for melamine, although all appeared healthy, Lungren
said. About half a dozen pigs were put down and researchers at the
University of California-Davis are testing their kidneys, tissues,
blood and other body parts for melamine contamination, she said.
The contaminated feed was bought April 3 and 13 as salvage pet food
...
Researchers isolated a spoke-like crystal in pet food, wheat gluten
and in the urine, kidneys and tissues of infected animals. That
crystal serves as a marker for determining what animals were sickened
in the outbreak. About 30 percent of those crystals are made up of
melamine, one investigator said, and researchers spent several weeks
trying to identify what is in the remainder.
...
Finding cyanuric acid is the more significant finding, Hoff,
Goldstein and Mullaney said, although they are not yet certain how
toxic it is to animals.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Web site said, "When
ingested (by humans) in large amounts, the substance may have effects
on the kidneys, resulting in tissue lesions."
END QUOTES
You can read the read at the extensive article's URL.
The concern is also if the contaminants can accumulate in the tissues
of assorted food animals and then be eaten by those higher on the
food chain (pets and humans). Of course, that depends on what types
of animals got the contaminated products in their foods. Given that
three types of imported products with wide uses have already been
found in which the melamine was present there is a lot of tracing for
the FDA to do.
Sukie (not a vet)
Current FHL address:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth
Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
mailto:ferrethealth-digest@yahoogroups.com
mailto:ferrethealth-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
ferrethealth-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/