Cancer Risk

Your article (Aug. 8), “FDA Approves 2 Dyes, Calls Cancer Risk ‘Trivial,’ ” prompts this letter.

The use of the word “trivial” in reference to cancer risk shows a lack of concern for human life or suffering. Any risk is too high because the use of these chemicals is cosmetic and serves no important purpose. Also, we are not being exposed to one or two chemicals. We spend a lifetime exposed to every carcinogenic substance in our environment. The manner in which this builds up is unknown, but the lowering of government standards will only introduce new carcinogenic chemicals at an increasing rate.

If chemical dyes were banned completely, companies would have to sell their products based on their qualities and not on attractive colors that give one product an edge over another.

Who would, if given the choice, risk cancer rather than eat gray hot dogs, use colorless shampoo, or endure women whose makeup lacks orange dye? These chemical dyes produce only two things--profit and cancer.

MYRON J. ARNOLD

Chino