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Discovery By Guelph, Ont., Scientists May Show How Recalled Pet Food Became Toxic

Posted on: Friday, 27 April 2007, 18:00 CDT

By NOOR JAVED

TORONTO (CP) - A chemical process that occurs between two compounds, one used to make plastics and another employed in pool chlorination, may explain how North American pets were affected, some fatally, by recalled pet food products, researchers suggest.

Cyanuric acid, which was found in urine samples from animals that died, and melamine, a compound identified in the gluten found in the recalled pet food, react with one another to form crystals that may block kidney function, researchers at the University of Guelph said Friday.

"You wouldn't normally expect to find those compounds in pet food, and hence nobody was really looking for it," said John Melichercik, director of analytical services for laboratory services at Guelph.

"It's just another piece of the puzzle along the way in this particular pet food issue."

Last month, Ontario-based Menu Foods recalled 60 million cans and pouches of its "cuts and gravy" style food, sold under 95 different brand names, for fear of contamination after it received reports of kidney failure and even death among dogs and cats.

Federal testing of some recalled pet foods, and the wheat gluten used in their production, turned up the chemical melamine, commonly used to make kitchenware and other plastics.

Further testing done at the University of Guelph and a number of U.S labs found that cyanuric acid, a metabolic by-product of melamine, was also found in the urine and tissue samples of affected animals.

Last week, a chemist at the Agriculture and Food Laboratory in Guelph decided to test the reaction between the two compounds in a setting similar to that of an animal's kidney.

"Our research had taken a number of turns, and so we decided to take a look at the two substances implicated by the FDA," said Melichercik.

The experiment resulted in the formation of a precipitate in a crystal-like form. Analysis of the crystal determined that it had a chemical fingerprint matching that of crystals found in the urine and tissues of animals that died of renal failure.

"We overlayed the two scans, and they were a very good match," he said.

Melichercik said that while research had been done on the chemical reaction between the two compounds in an industrial setting, this was the first time it was applied within the context of the pet food recall.

"I wouldn't call it a novel finding in terms of the scientific community, but in terms of this particular situation, nobody has really talked about the possible mechanisms of how this could be occurring," he said.

He said the findings also explain how two compounds that weren't dangerous on their own could become toxic when they react together.

Source: Canadian Press

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