Melamine Menace; know the facts to protect your child
The Ministry Health of China reported that more than 53, 000 kids died because of a milk consisting melamine. Melamine is a chemical usually used for plastic and containers. Since babies and little children consume more milk than adult, then for sure they have more melamine in their bodies. Melamine can cause the destruction of kidneys and can cause death. The symptoms of consuming melamine are blood in urine, little or no urine, and high fever.
I think that this issue is really serious and dangerous because kids are dying because of milk and milk is something they consume almost everyday. If that particular milk is not banned, then more kids will die everyday.
Questions for readers:
1. What do you think about this issue?
2. What changes could have been made to improve this situation?
"Melamine Menace; know the facts to protect your child" The Jakarta Post, 9 November 2008, p. 16
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4 comments:
When the news surfaced about babies (in China) dying because of the high content of melamine in their milk formula, many were shocked and saddened.
But when the news reported that some of the milk manufacturers had actually added melamine to the milk on purpose in order to fool government inspectors into believing that their milk products had the required content of protein, that made people furious. These companies were willing to risk the lives of babies in order to make money. I cannot imagine how I would feel if it was my child who had died or had suffered kidney failure just for someone to make money.
Whoever was behind this practice of adding melamine to infant milk is in my opinion in the same category as a murderer, since the end result of their actions is the death or harm to the innocent.
I hope that the Chinese government imposes a harsh punishment on the people responsible and if their companies go bankrupt that would be fitting punishment for a group of business people have shown to have no morals at all.
Since the government is responsible for protecting its citizens against unscrupulous business practices, it must also carry the blame for not having tighter inspection practices especially of food products.
Probably the best change that can happen is for consumers to become aware of countries where business practices are dangerously dishonest and to be more selective in their purchases.
Many consumers, for example, have become suspicious of food products made in China and would rather buy products made locally.
Let us hope that what has happened is truly a lesson to manufacturers of food products in China and elsewhere so that they will not dare anymore sacrifice consumers' health for profits.
MLC Anchor
I think tha China has been trying to cut corners for a long time. Do you all remember the Mattel Scandal? The Mattel factory in China was using a toxic paint to coat their toys. It turned out that the factory was doing that to cut production costs. The paint was potentially toxic. The Mattel factory in the US did tests and reported that the toys made in China under Mattel's license were not safe to sell.
China maybe a giant industrial country, but by cutting costs and using cheaper and non standard materials, they're hurting themselves.
wow! that is so cruel what people do for money... I wonder who would have came up with the idea, maybe is was accident... I think that this is a horrible cruel and unsafe thing that someone has done. maybe for each factory there could be a tester so that we can make sure that no melamine is in the milk powder and the milk itself!
We need to save the babies of Asia and all around the world!!!
-KJH-
this article was written by me on the daily star 'star health' page. But you have made a different reference. View my full article here http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=60156
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