FDA Delays Red Dye No. 3 Ruling
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WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration, waiting for direction from Congress, on Tuesday extended its deadline for deciding whether to ban Red Dye No. 3 in foods, drugs and cosmetics on the grounds that it causes cancer.
This extension pushes the deadline to Jan. 29, 1990. It had been today. There have been dozens of previous extensions in the 19-year-old controversy.
The agency had been prepared to ban the dye when the House voted in July to require further studies before deciding on a ban. But, last month, House and Senate negotiators deadlocked over the issue and decided to give the FDA conflicting advice.
House conferees stood fast on their wish to see more studies, while Senate conferees agreed that the FDA should follow existing law in deciding whether the dye should be banned. Both positions were included in an appropriations bill, which is still being hashed out in a conference committee.
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