WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. health officials have uncovered trace amounts of the chemical melamine in one sample of infant formula sold in the United States, a Food and Drug Administration spokeswoman said on Tuesday.

The amount found in the sample was no cause for concern, said FDA spokeswoman Judy Leon said. "There's no basis for concern because we're talking about trace levels that are so low ... that there's absolutely no risk," she told Reuters.

Melamine-tainted formula was found earlier this year in China, where thousands of children fell ill and several died.

(Reporting by Susan Heavey, editing by Chris Wilson)