To the Editor,
I have some questions and concerns about the Rotary Club Colour Fest that was held at the Kitsuksis Dyke July 20, 2024. The participants were given bags of coloured powder that they would throw into the air as they walked around the dyke. The participants passed six different colour stations where different coloured powder was showered on them. The organizer stated that this powder is food and cosmetic grade safe.
While all of this sounds deliriously fun, and can be washed from the clothes and skin, how is it washed from the lungs and internal organs of the body when it is breathed in? When participants are throwing these coloured powders in the air as they walk, and also being showered with these powders at six different shower stations, you can be sure a large amount of these powders will be breathed into the lungs. Hardly my view of a safe and fun day.
While the organizers state these powders are cosmetic grade safe, it should be pointed out that manufacturers of cosmetic grade products are not subject to the same safety testing, or government scrutiny that pharmaceutical grade products require. And cosmetic grade products are for external use only. The way these powders are being deployed seems, in my view, dangerous without proper respirators, and foolhardy.
Thomas Gowan,
Port Alberni
Editor's note: Colour Fest organizers as well as the supplier (Colour Powder Supply Co.) of the coloured powder used during the event say the powder is "very fine," is non-toxic, is made using a base of edible ingredients such as cornstarch and natural dyes and was used in a well-ventilated outdoor area.
