FDA: No amount of melamine safe in formula

WASHINGTON, Oct. 4 (UPI) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said even a tiny amount of melamine in infant formula poses a risk.

A tainted milk scandal in China prompted the agency to conduct a safety and risk assessment to identify the level of melamine and melamine-related compounds in food which would not raise public health concerns.

"FDA is currently unable to establish any level of melamine and melamine-related compounds in infant formula that does not raise public health concerns," the agency said Friday in a release. "In large part, this is because of gaps in our scientific knowledge about the toxicity of melamine and its analogues in infants."

In food products other than infant formula, the FDA said levels of melamine and melamine-related compounds below 2.5 parts per million do not raise concerns.