Release of Formaldehyde and Melamine from Melamine Tableware Manufactured in the Philippines

Abstract

The amounts of the melamine resin monomers, formaldehyde and melamine, that migrated from melamine tableware into food-simulating solvents were studied under various conditions. Undetectable or limited release of both monomers was determined in the extract when water was used as a food-simulating solvent. The release of both monomers into 4% acetic acid, another food-simulating solvent, was observed when the migration test was carried out at 95°C for 30 min. The molar concentration ratios of formaldehyde to melamine (F/M ratio) in 4% acetic acid as the extractant were between 9.4 and 46.2. The F/M ratio decreased biexponentially during eight repetitions of the extraction procedure using 4% acetic acid at 95°C for 30 min. The F/M ratio then remained between 1.9 and 2.6 from the 8th to the 20th repetition of the test. Migration of monomers was undetectable or limited to trace amounts when melamine wares were treated under simulated household conditions.