MELAMINE TRAGEDY

Jiří Patočka¹, Anna Strunecká^2,3
1Jihočeská univerzita v Českých Budějovicích, Zdravotně sociální fakulta, katedra radiologie a toxikologie; ²Vysoká škola aplikovaných ekonomických studií, s. r. o., Praha, katedra technických a environmentálních věd; ³Karlova univerzita v Praze, 1. lékařská fakulta UK, Ústav lékařské biochemie

Korespondenční autor: Jiří Patočka (prof.patocka@gmail.com)

ISSN 1804-7858 (On-line)

Full verze:

Submitted:15. 5. 2009
Accepted: 8. 6. 2009
Published online: 26. 6. 2009

Summary

In 2008, a major scandal broke in the People’s Republic of China, after sixteen infants who had been fed on milk powder produced by Sanlu Group, one of China's largest dairies, were diagnosed with kidney stones. With China’s wide range of export food products, the scandal has affected countries on all continents. By November 2008 China reported an estimated 300,000 victims, six infants dying from kidney stones and other kidney damage, and a further 860 babies hospitalized. Investigation proved that these infants were poisoned by melamine present in the milk powder. Melamine is used to manufacture melamine resins; it is not approved as an ingredient in food and has no nutritional value. The chemical has been added to milk intentionally in order to increase their apparent protein content. Consequences of this ill-advised and irresponsible action were disastrous. The health of thousands of children was damaged and their parents lost their confidence in the infant formula and food safety. One of China's largest dairies, Sanlu Group, went bankrupt. According to the press agency Reuters, the Intermediate People's Court in Shijiazhuang in northern China sentenced two defendants implicated in the melamine scandal to death. Three other defendants were given jail terms, others were put on probation.

Keywords: melamine – milk contamination – infant – poisoning – risk

Souhrn

V roce 2008 vypukl v Čínské lidové republice skandál, když u šestnácti kojenců krmených sušeným mlékem z produkce mlékárenského koncernu Sanlu Group byly nalezeny ledvinové kameny. Vzhledem k obrovskému exportu čínských potravin zasáhl skandál všechny kontinenty. V listopadu Čína hlásila 300 000 obětí. Šest dětí zemřelo na ledvinové kameny či jiné poškození ledvin, 860 dětí bylo hospitalizováno. Bylo prokázáno, že děti se otrávily melaminem přítomným v mléce. Melamin, který je používán jako surovina pro výrobu melaminových pryskyřic, nemá žádnou výživovou hodnotu a v mléce nemá co dělat. Chemikálie byla do mléka přidávána úmyslně, aby se zdálo, že má vyšší obsah proteinů. Důsledky toho neuváženého a nezodpovědného jednání byly katastrofické. Zdraví tisíců dětí bylo poškozeno a jejich rodiče ztratili důvěru v umělou dětskou výživu a bezpečnost potravin. Jedna z největších čínských společností na zpracování mléka, Sanlu Group, zkrachovala. Podle tiskové agentury Reuters odsoudil soud v Shijiazhuangu v severní Číně v souvislosti s melaminovým skandálem dva pracovníky k trestu smrti. Tři dostali trest vězení a někteří podmíněné tresty.

Klíčová slova: melamin – kontaminované mléko – kojenec – otrava – riziko

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