June 30, 10:55 AM 
514 Chai Chee Lane 03-16, Singapore 469029 Following the tragic accident involving a dust explosion at Taipei's Color Play Asia party, The Color Run Singapore on Monday issued a statement on its Facebook page to address concerns of participants of the almost-sold-out event.
Among other things, it declared the "powder used in its events has been tested for flammability and successfully passed the required EU standards. The powder used in the tragic incident in Taipei was different from that used in Color Run™ events and was not provided by the Color Run™ supplier."
Here's the full statement:
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Posted by The Color Run Singapore on Monday, 29 June 2015
The post attracted comments from Facebook users, several of whom expressed concern about the safety of the coloured powder that will be used at this year's Run, which will take place in August.
Tuesday morning, however, saw a number of commenters claiming defensive activity on the part of the page's administrators, who allegedly deleted comments that were asking if there were any safety measures in place to prevent a repeat of Taiwan's tragedy.
Here are a few of the comments calling the page out:
Other comments continued to press for clarity on safety measures, while still others requested refunds:
What is the Color Run?
Billed as the 'happiest 5k on the planet', Color Run Singapore is slated to hold its fifth edition on August 22 and 23 this year. Participants are asked to attend the event in white tops and will be doused with different colours throughout the course of the five-kilometre run. According to organisers, it is "like getting into a powdered sugar food fight."
On its FAQ page, it also stressed the safety of the powder used for the run, noting that it is made from "food grade cornstarch and are 100% natural and SAFE".
Is corn starch safe?
Several media reports have quoted Chen Hui-ying, the Taipei Formosa Water Park general manager, as confirming that the powdery substance that burst into flame was coloured corn starch.
In a June 29 report on the explosion, The Straits Times said "corn starch, while normally a harmless, edible substance that is almost inert when it is in a mass, is a highly flammable carbohydrate and burns instantly when it is dispersed into fine particles, which happens when it is blown out during a 'colour' event".
It also noted that corn starch has been "used in fire breathing".
Fire-breathing with corn starch
A search of the term "cornstarch fire breathing" on YouTube returns many videos of people attempting to breathe fire with corn starch, including this one:
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The video shows a man explaining how he plans to breathe fire with corn starch, he starts off by demonstrating that the corn starch was safe and not flammable when compacted together — he even dipped his fingers into the corn starch and put them over a direct flame.
He then shows, when made airborne and in a powdered form, how flammable corn starch can be.
We will be updating this story when The Color Run Singapore organiser provides more details.
Top image from bobostudio
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