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Some of China's youngest have been made sick by an old problem--tainted food. Nearly 60 babies in the Chinese province of Gansu who drank Sanlu milk formula developed kidney stones, leading to one infant's death.
Parents in China are terrified, and parents here are wondering how this could be. Investigators say the formula is contaminated with melamine, a toxic chemical that's used to make plastic.
Chinese investigators now believe dairy farmers added melamine to diluted milk to make its protein content appear artificially high.
Does it sound familiar? It should. Last year, melamine from China masqueraded as protein-rich wheat gluten in American pet food, sickening or killing more than 10,000 dogs and cats in a remarkably similar way to what's hurting these babies.
The Food and Drug Administration wants to reassure the public that American-made baby formula is safe. Chinese-made formula is illegal for sale in the U.S., but health officials worry it may be sitting on store shelves in ethnic markets across the country.
