No melamine has been found in Dumex formula milk powder which has reportedly caused kidney illness on 48 children, the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Quality and Technical Supervision said on Friday.

The bureau said it checked powder produced by Dumex, the powdered-milk unit of France's Danone Group, since Sept. 14, 2008 when inspectors from the quality supervisor were stationed at the factory. It said no melamine was detected in 932 batches of milk powder totaling more than 6,188 tonnes.

Dumex also sent samples of 1,741 batches produced before September 14, 2008 for quality tests, and these were also found to be safe. These samples represent 25,048 tonnes of milk powder.

There were reports in overseas media last month that 48 Chinese infants "recently" suffered kidney disorders after drinking Dumex milk powder.

However, Dumex Baby Food Co., Ltd. disputed these reports, saying that there were no medical reports or other evidence supporting claims that 48 infants were sickened by Dumex milk powder.

Melamine-adulterated milk powder killed at least six Chinese infants and sickened almost 300,000. More than 300 children were still in the hospital at the end of December, according to the Ministry of Health.

Two people have been sentenced to death for their roles in the contamination, while the ex-chairwoman of Sanlu Group, which was at the heart of the scandal, was jailed for life.

(Xinhua News Agency February 14, 2009)