Why it took 37 years for the U.S. to ban Red 3Published inThe Medium BlogSent as aNewsletter3 min readJust now-- Welcome backIssue #252: letting go of assumptions + self-imposed urgencyBy Harris SockelCandy corn. Pez. Maraschino cherries. Gummy wormsAll delicious and all typically contain Red Dye 3, aka erythrosine (via ancient Greek eruthrs, or red). The dye was banned by the FDA last week, though its been off shelves in California since last fall. Anything made with the dye before last week, though, can still be sold and manufacturers have two years to find alternative sources of red (or cut the color entirely).The FDA based its decision on a study from 37 years ago which found that rats who consume the dye are more likely to develop thyroid tumors than those who dont. Obvious question: Why the gigantic delay? Because the FDA wasnt petitioned to review this research until 2022, when the Center for Science in the Public Interest an advocacy group best-known for putting ingredient and calorie labels on food filed a petition. Three years later, after the petition wound its way through the FDAs public comment and review process, the ban is here.Dr. Jess Steier, a public health scientist whos unpacked raw milks health effects and research around child vaccination, breaks down what we do and dont know about the safety of food dyes. Essentially, rats developed tumors due to a hormone mechanism specific to male rats that doesnt exist in humans and no other animal studies have discovered any cancerous effects of these dyes. Yet, a one-line clause in a 1958 amendment to FDA law requires the agency to ban any ingredient shown to cause cancer in humans or animals. Its an abundance of caution situation. As Steier explains, the ban is based on a legal requirement from a time in history when analytical chemistry was way less sophisticated, its not based on new or particularly consequential safety concerns. TL;DR: You dont need to worry (that much) about all the red dye you or your kids may have been consuming pre-last week.My side quest, while researching all this: What about Red Dye 1 and 2? Who are they and where did they go? Well, Red 2 was banned in 1976 after the FDA could not rule out its link to cancer. And Red 1 was banned in 1960 for the same reason. My open tabs this morningA prompt to spark new perspectives: What if you removed your biggest assumption instead of your biggest constraint? (David Loewen)In 1981, Ronald Reagan chose to move his inauguration from the White Houses East portico to its West portico so he could face the National Mall and welcome a larger crowd every inauguration since 1981 has followed suit. Reagans second inauguration in 1985 was also the last to be held indoors for cold and wet weather, before Mondays. (Betsy Denson)Educator Torshie Torto, in Ghana, uses the Socratic method to dispel long-held homophobia and bigoted beliefs among her students: My goal wasnt to make them accept anything. I wanted them to question the hatred of gay people, not their existence. Some practical wisdomDo things fast. Things dont actually take much time (as measured by a stopwatch); resistance/procrastination does. Slow is fake. If no urgency exists, impose some. Nabeel Qureshi