Today, a huge assortment of various dishes is presented in shops and markets: both very cheap and quite expensive. Many people buy metal or porcelain products for a festive feast, and use simpler options for everyday use. Cheap products are imported from Jordan, Turkey and China. Often among them melamine utensils come across. Beautiful and comfortable in everyday life, it poses a huge danger to our health.
Poison in the plate
Officially, melamine utensils in the Russian Federation as food utensils are prohibited. This is due to the fact that it contains an insidious polymer. When a person acquires it, melamine is “sewn up”. But if you pour liquid into such dishes, for example, ordinary water, then formaldehyde, which dissolves perfectly in the contents of the plate, immediately begins to be released. About a month passes, and the melamine utensils (photo below) are covered with small microcracks in which small particles of food begin to get stuck.
The harmful effects of formaldehyde are added to these charms. By influencing the digestive and circulatory systems, it can contribute to eczema, cancer, severe allergic reactions, and chronic bronchitis. Theoretically, melamine dishes can provoke a
mutation of human genes and thereby cause hereditary diseases in the younger generation. Formaldehydes have a strong detrimental effect on the central apparatus of the nervous system, adversely affect the respiratory tract, reproductive organs, eyes and skin. Because of all this, melamine utensils are not suitable even for dogs and cats.
Those who doubt the danger can familiarize themselves with the latest research by employees of the Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Welfare. The results of several independent tests amazed even experienced chemists: at first, a little ordinary table vinegar (4%) was poured into melamine bowls. Then they were left for a day, and then the contents of the dishes were passed through a chromatograph. What do you think, how many times was the rate of formaldehyde exceeded? Not two, not three, or even ten - as much as 65!
How to recognize the danger in time
You can recognize melamine utensils by the following signs: it has a low weight, does not break, it is easy to wash. The appearance of such utensils is somewhat reminiscent of French dishes made of special household glass (arcopal, arcoros). Compared to porcelain or glass, it is noticeably lighter. If you knock on it with a wooden object, you will hear a crackling, deaf, "dead" sound. Usually has a milky white color. Unfortunately, now even melamine dishes for children come across on the shelves. Unscrupulous manufacturers successfully use bright bears, hedgehogs and flowers to increase their sales. But if you look closely, cartoony drawings are applied without any protective layer, and the melamin stamp comes across from the back. However, such a warning may simply be absent. It is frightening that the sellers themselves sometimes do not know which “gin” is hiding in the assortment of their goods. The state, of course, is struggling with this, but you should not rely on the vigilance of the relevant authorities, knowing how resourceful entrepreneurs can be. Therefore, we recommend that you pay utmost attention when choosing household utensils.