Infants have been sickened by Melamine, a toxic chemical that was added to milk to help boost the appearance of protein. Melamine is used in plastics, fertilizers and flame retardants. It has no nutritional value but is high in nitrogen, which makes the products appear to have higher protein content than they actually do. Suppliers to the dairy companies that produced the tainted baby formula have been accused of adding the chemical to watered-down milk.

2)     How many children are affected?

According to a survey conducted by the Half the Sky Foundation in 41 Chinese institutions, a number of children are affected, although the number is probably less than 5% of those who received the tainted formula.

3)     What are the symptoms of Melamine poisoning?

The affected infants primarily have uric acid kidney stones and not interstitial nephritis. If a child is affected, the symptoms would likely be lethargy and poor feeding, along with bloody urine. For kidney stones, it would be discomfort and bloody urine, though the condition could be asymptomatic.

4)     What is China doing about the problem?

The Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs has been working to provide guidance to all the institutions that house infants in China. According to the Ministry, a letter was sent out to all orphanages as soon as the crisis was recognized. Orders were to have all children examined at local hospitals, and the government will cover all costs, including any necessary treatment. All orphanages using identified tainted brands have changed to either fresh milk or to a brand that has been identified as safe.

5)     Which Chinese orphanages were affected? 

Tianjin CWI was using Sanlu, among other brands. Forty children were
drinking Sanlu and of those, 2 were diagnosed to have kidney stones.

Xinyang CWI was using Sanlu exclusively. 43 children were taken to
hospital and 2 have been diagnosed to have kidney stones.

Yiyang SWC was using Sanlu exclusively. All children were taken to
hospital and 5 were diagnosed to have kidney stones.

Maoming CWI was using Sanlu among other brands. All children were examined
and 2 were diagnosed to have kidney stones.

Nanjing, Chongqing, Shenzhen, Guiyang, Guangzhou, Luoyang, Nanchang and
Qingyuan were using affected brands but the children were examined and are all right.

None of the children with kidney stones is seriously ill. All are being
treated. Most of the other institutions were using non-affected brands

6)     What can parents do when visiting their child in China?

Those parents who see bloody urine should be concerned. If children display these symptoms in China, they can have kidney ultrasounds to see if kidney stones are present, as an x-ray would not visualize these.

7)     What can parents do after returning home with their child?

In the US, a urinalysis is sufficient to identify those children at risk. If infants display symptoms, a kidney ultrasound would be advisable, along with perhaps a BUN/creatinine to look at the kidney function. Parents should consult with their adoption medical specialist.

8) What are the possible long-term effects?

If the offending agent is removed, children should not be at risk of forming new kidney stones. There is some risk of permanent injury if children have interstitial injury in addition to forming the stones.

*These FAQs are NOT meant to constitute medical advice. Please always consult your medical professional. Answers to some of these questions were kindly provided by Dr. Dana Johnson, of the International Adoption Clinic, University of Minnesota.

September 8, 2008* - Joint Council and others in our field have great concern regarding the one-time renewal of I-600A approvals and the impact on Potential Adoptive Parents (PAPs).   Following is Joint Council’s assessment and statement on this very important issue facing over 10,000 U.S. families.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has again confirmed that PAPs with an approved I-600A in a Hague country may only file for a renewal one-time.  Thereafter, families must ‘start from the beginning’ and file an I-800A petition. 

It is very clear that the authors of the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000 intended to ‘grandfather’ all I-600A petitions filed prior to the date on which the Hague Convention went into force in the United States (April 1, 2007).  At the time the legislation was drafted, the authors did not foresee the lengthy processing time now associated with adoptions from countries such as China and Haiti.  Yet the intent was clearly to allow PAPs to complete their adoptions under the I-600 process.  This intent is now negated through what we consider an overly restrictive interpretation of the law and regulation.

Families, with the understanding that their case would be ‘grandfathered’, initiated their adoption proceedings in good faith.   They rightfully believed that the United States Government would honor the initial information provided by USCIS and the intent of the law (Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000).   It appears that their confidence in the USG was misplaced. 

Specific to the impact on families, our concerns are focused on three primary areas.

(PAPs) required to file an I-800A (as a result of an expired I-600A approval) will come under undue hardship.  These families will be forced to incur the costs associated with a new Hague compliant home study, new fingerprints, and the I-800A filing.  These fees can total from $1,800 to over $3,000. 

In addition many states require that new documentation including medicals, child abuse clearance and state fingerprints be provided with a new home study.  The collection of these documents and completion of the home study will add a significant amount of time and effort to the family’s adoption process.  The child abuse clearance alone can easily take months. 

Some PAP's now find themselves engaged with an ASP that was denied Hague Accreditation.  As a result PAPs are discovering that filing an I800A will force them to contract with a Hague Accredited ASP.  Disengaging from one ASP and contracting with a new ASP will cause further undue distress and hardship.  In addition to the hardships noted above, these PAPs will incur the additional costs associated with contracting a new ASP.  The newly contracted ASP will rightfully charge a fee for the case management, advocacy and other services they provide.  The cost of contracting with a new ASP can range from $1,000 to $6,000. 

Some have argued that the financial position of ASPs denied Hague accreditation are at the core of our concerns.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Those ASPs making such claims will in fact be the beneficiary of new fees if families are required to change ASPs.  Their argument is disingenuous, self-serving and not in the best interest of United States citizens seeking to adoption internationally. 

In a brief survey of ASPs, virtually all indicated that the goal is to honor the intent of the IAA of 2000 and allow families to complete their adoption through the I-600A process with their original ASP.  No reputable ASP is seeking to gain fees through an undue hardship on families.

Joint Council also expresses concern that the Central Authorities of sending countries have not definitively confirmed the impact of transitioning from the I-600 process to the I-800 process.  Similarly, the U.S. Department of State, despite dialogue with other Central Authorities has yet to confirm the impact on families.  Joint Council recognizes that some Central Authorities and DOS have provided suggested impacts, but no definitive confirmation has been issued to date.  With an impact on over 10,000 families, now is not the time to rely on good will or suppositions.

Joint Council and others have repeatedly expressed our concerns to the United States Government.  In responding to our concerns the USCIS has confirmed that any change to the one-time renewal of I-600A approvals will require either a legislative or regulatory initiative.  However, a timely change in the regulation would require the aggressive cooperation and leadership of USCIS.  Unfortunately it seems apparent that such cooperation is not forthcoming.  As a result, a change in the law is required and would involve Congressional action.  Given the very short time left before Congress is out of session, legislative action also seems improbable.  However, some Members of Congress have expressed their desire to fix the problem through legislation yet USCIS assistance is needed to craft legislation that addresses the problem without causing additional problems for families.  Unfortunately USCIS has not responded to Congressional inquiries for such assistance.

Some branches of the United States Government have expressed that the renewal of I-600A approvals is not a significant problems.  Others within the government have indicated that while a problem does exist, it is not within their power to resolve the issue and yet others point to resolve the issue.  As a result, no solution is imminent and families suffer.

Joint Council suggests that relying on good faith or, probabilities is not a sufficient response to this very important issue.  Given that over 10,000 families will be significantly and negatively impacted we continue to call on USCIS to work collaboratively and aggressively with Congress and others in the United States Government towards an immediate resolution. 

*Note to Families: At this time, we are not asking families to call or e-mail the Joint Council office in support of our advocacy efforts regarding the I600A approval process.

May 22, 2008 - In light of the recent earthquake in China which has orphaned approximately 4,000 children, Joint Council has prepared a statement to share with families seeking more information.  The document highlighting some of the key issues and concerns that prevent the immediate implementation of international adoption in the wake of natural disaster can be found here.

September 5, 2007 - The new CCAA regulations concerning intercountry adoptions officially took effect on May 1. As expected, these regulations have begun to reduce the number of U.S. citizens who adopt from China.