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Melamine in cookware destroys kidneys.
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
Modern people often prefer plastic cutlery and dishes, rejecting ceramic, metal and porcelain items. It is not surprising, because plastic is the most convenient to use due to its strength and lightness, and plastic dishes are often the cheapest and brightest. It is unlikely that you can see at least one office kitchen without an abundance of colored plastic containers. And it is completely unrealistic to imagine a trip to nature with a porcelain grandmother's service instead of plastic plates.
Scientists from the Chinese Medical University conducted several studies, during which it became known that the bodies of people who regularly eat food from plastic dishes contain a critical amount of a substance hazardous to health - melamine. This is a synthetic material that does not dissolve in organic compounds and when heated releases ammonia, which is harmful to the human body. After scientists found out that melamine can be dangerous to humans when heated, an experiment was conducted, which consisted of dividing 30 adults into two groups. The first group ate hot food from ceramic dishes on an empty stomach, and the second - from plastic containers heated to the same temperature. Urine and blood samples were taken from the test subjects twice: the first time - thirty minutes before the start of the experiment, the second - several hours later.
A detailed study of the samples showed that the amount of melanin, which releases ammonia when heated, is about 9 mcg in people who ate from plastic plates and about 1.5 mcg in those who ate from ceramic dishes, respectively. From the results, we see that just one meal can cause a more than 4-fold increase in the level of melamine in the body.
The authors of the study were surprised by the results of the experiment and commented on them as follows: dishes containing melamine (any plastic products) are dangerous when heated because at high temperatures melamine releases ammonia, which can be harmful to humans. The scientists additionally noted (in order to avoid being accused of black PR) that absolutely any plastic products, regardless of the manufacturer and the material used, are dangerous to humans. Among the recommendations that doctors can give to ordinary people, only one can be singled out: try not to heat plastic products. If plastic containers are used to carry food, during a picnic (without subjecting them to heat treatment), then they are quite safe for health.
As for the effect that melamine can have on the human body, there is no precise data yet. The kidneys and gall bladder are at risk. Previous studies show that ammonia has the ability to promote the formation of kidney and gall bladder stones. There is a suspicion that long-term consumption of food from hot plastic dishes can provoke more serious consequences in children under 10 years of age.
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