February 27, 2009

Chinese regulators have determined that baby powder made by US company Wyeth didn't contain unsafe levels of the industrial chemical melamine, state media said Thursday (February 26).

The country's product safety regulator had looked into the company's baby powder following Chinese consumer accusations that it had caused kidney stones in children, the Xinhua news agency said.

However, Wyeth's products were found to be in compliance with accepted melamine levels by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection, and Quarantine, the agency said.

Wyeth said earlier this week that it had received complaints that children who had been fed its baby milk powder in China had developed kidney stones, but denied its products were unsafe.

The accusations were the latest in a rash of reports of sick babies that has raised new concerns long after last year's tainted baby formula scandal was declared over by Chinese authorities.

Authorities this month investigated the domestically produced milk powder of Danone Dumex, a unit of French food giant Danone, after similar consumer allegations.

The product-quality regulator later cleared Danone, although the health ministry said last week it was investigating why children might be suffering from kidney problems if not through tainted milk.

Last year, melamine contamination of baby powder led to the deaths of at least six infants and sickened 300,000 others. It was found to have been added to milk products to make them seem to contain more protein.