wff_ng_7 > wrote:

> What it comes down to is the wheat gluten was contaminated
> with more that just melamine. It also contained cyanuric acid.
> The researchers found that these two chemicals react and form
> the strange crystals that were found in the pet's kidneys and
> caused death by kidney failure.

Yes, that seems to be the leading theory du jour.

> The reason both chemicals are believed to be present is that
> the adulteration was not done with pure melamine, but with
> melamine industrial scrap

That part I haven't heard. There's also the bacteria theory.
In any case the two chemicals are closely related and they
crystallize together into huge, damaging crystals.

Steve