When Pretty Colors Were Deadly

Remember the uproar about red dye #2? It was banned in the US because in high doses, it can cause cancer in rats. But that was small potatoes compared to other colors that lead to real deaths among real people in history. Humans have always treasured bright, true, and lasting pigments to give color to... well, everything. It's only been relatively recently that their chemical nature became closely studied and regulated. Before that, way too many people died because of our search for pretty colors. This TED-Ed lesson looks at white, green, and orange and how deadly they once were. -via Nag on the Lake