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A variety of dairy and soy-based dairy replacement products (n = 246) purchased from Canadian retail outlets were analysed for baseline levels of melamine (MEL) using a sensitive LC-MS/MS method (method quantification limit = 4 µg/kg). MEL was infrequently detected; only 14% of the items analysed contained quantifiable levels of MEL. The concentrations observed, aside from one recalled sample of candy, ranged from 0.00435 to 0.276 mg/kg, and were at least 10 times lower than the 2.5 mg/kg interim standard for melamine in products containing milk and milk-derived ingredients established by Health Canada. The consumption of foods containing these low levels of MEL does not constitute a health risk for consumers.

There has been increasing concern over the contamination of drinking water and food with perchlorate. Studies have reported perchlorate in a variety of foods, including lettuce, milk, fruits, and juices. In this study, 150 food samples were analyzed by ion chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (IC-MS/MS) to determine the concentrations of perchlorate in imported and domestic fruits and vegetables available from retail outlets in Ottawa, Canada. Perchlorate was found in most of the tested food types with concentrations appearing to vary by commodity and country of origin. Levels ranged from nondetectable to 536 microg/kg, with Guatemalan cantaloupes (156 +/- 232 microg/kg), United States spinach (133 +/- 24.9 microg/kg), Chilean green grapes (45.5 +/- 13.3 microg/kg), and United States Romaine lettuce (29.1 +/- 10.5 microg/kg) having the highest concentrations. Dietary exposure to perchlorate from analyzed fruits and vegetables was estimated to be approximately 36.6 and 41.1 ng/kg bw/day for toddlers (1-4 yrs) and children (5-11yrs), respectively.