Melamine dinnerware has long been a parent’s best friend (it’s durable enough to survive temper tantrums and high-chair hijinks), but it’s also become super popular in the past couple of years, as more designers have taken to the material to experiment with funky designs and summer barbecue-friendly patterns. (See Bon Appetit’s roundup from last July: “Unbreakable, unmeltable, unmistakably beautiful: These melamine plates and platters can handle the great outdoors–and your dishwasher.”) A new study points out one really big drawback, whether you’re using it to serve baby food or ribs: If it gets hot enough, melamine actually leaches toxic chemicals into your food, and can end up causing kidney stones and other averse reactions in children and adults. More »