It is unlikely that Singaporeans will suffer ill effects from melamine consumption even though the chemical has been discovered in three products here, according to a statement by the authorities.

The three products - "Yi Li Choice Dairy Fruit Bar Yogurt Flavoured Ice Confection", "Dutch Lady Strawberry Flavoured Milk and "White Rabbit Creamy Candy" - have since been recalled. The levels of melamine found in them, however, are much lower than those found in China and are thus less likely to result in adverse health effects, said the statement by the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) and the Ministry of Health.

Consumers have to consume contaminated products over a prolonged period of time to have any potential ill effects on health, they said.

The Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI) of melamine as established by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is 0.63 mg/kg body weight. This means that an adult weighing 60 kg or a child weighing 30 kg can ingest 37.8 mg of melamine and 18.9 mg of melamine respectively every day over a lifetime without any appreciable health risk.

Based on the melamine levels detected by AVA in the three affected products, a 60kg adult would, for example, be able to eat 47 pieces of the White Rabbit candy daily over a lifetime without any appreciable health risk.

The TDI limits translate into the following amounts of the contaminated products:

And even if one occasionally consumes more than the amounts in the table above, Singapore authorities said the health risk would still be low as the TDI limits take into account a large margin of safety.

However, they still advise consumers not to consume any milk or milk products containing melamine, including any products that contain milk ingredients from China, as the chemical is not meant for use in food.