World's Tallest Sandcastle Built in Denmark

The world's tallest sand sculpture standing 21.16 meters high is seen in Blokhus, Denmark July 7, 2021. Claus Bjoern Larsen/Ritzau Scanpix via REUTERS
The world's tallest sand sculpture standing 21.16 meters high is seen in Blokhus, Denmark July 7, 2021. Claus Bjoern Larsen/Ritzau Scanpix via REUTERS
TT

World's Tallest Sandcastle Built in Denmark

The world's tallest sand sculpture standing 21.16 meters high is seen in Blokhus, Denmark July 7, 2021. Claus Bjoern Larsen/Ritzau Scanpix via REUTERS
The world's tallest sand sculpture standing 21.16 meters high is seen in Blokhus, Denmark July 7, 2021. Claus Bjoern Larsen/Ritzau Scanpix via REUTERS

In the small seaside town of Blokhus in Denmark, the world's tallest sandcastle has been completed, weighing nearly 5,000 tons and towering over 20 meters high, its designers said Wednesday.

Standing 21.16 meters high (69.4 feet), more than three meters taller than a castle built in Germany in 2019, which previously held the title with its 17.66 meters, according to Guinness World Records.
A total of 4,860 tons of sand make up the intricately decorated structure which is reminiscent of a pyramid.

Its creator, Dutchman Wilfred Stijger, who was assisted by 30 of the world's best sand sculptors, wanted the castle to represent the power of the novel coronavirus over the world since the beginning of the pandemic.

Atop the sandcastle is a model of the virus wearing a crown.

"It's ruling our lives everywhere," Stijger said.

"It tells you what to do.... It tells you to stay away from your family and not go to nice places. Don't do activities, stay home," he added.

To make it more cohesive, the sand contains approximately 10 percent clay and a layer of glue was applied after it was completed so that it could stand up to the chilly and windy conditions of the autumn and winter.

Inhabitants of Blokhus have also been delighted to see local features incorporated into the sandcastle, such as windsurfing and kite-surfing, beach houses, fish and lighthouses.

The castle is expected to stand until the heavy frost sets in, meaning it should last until February or March.



US Bans Red Food Dye over Possible Cancer Risk

Fruit by the Foot, a product that uses Red Dye No 3, can be seen on a shelf at a supermarket in this illustration photograph on December 27, 2024 - AFP
Fruit by the Foot, a product that uses Red Dye No 3, can be seen on a shelf at a supermarket in this illustration photograph on December 27, 2024 - AFP
TT

US Bans Red Food Dye over Possible Cancer Risk

Fruit by the Foot, a product that uses Red Dye No 3, can be seen on a shelf at a supermarket in this illustration photograph on December 27, 2024 - AFP
Fruit by the Foot, a product that uses Red Dye No 3, can be seen on a shelf at a supermarket in this illustration photograph on December 27, 2024 - AFP

Outgoing US President Joe Biden's administration on Wednesday announced a ban on Red Dye No 3, a controversial food and drug coloring long known to cause cancer in animals.

Decades after scientific evidence first raised alarm, Red 3, as it is also called, is currently used in nearly 3,000 food products in the United States, according to the nonprofit Environmental Working Group.

"FDA is revoking the authorized uses in food and ingested drugs of FD&C Red No 3 in the color additive regulations," said a document from the Department of Health and Human Services, published in the Federal Register on Wednesday, AFP reported.

The decision follows a petition filed in November 2022 by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) and other advocacy groups, which cited the "Delaney Clause" -- a provision mandating the prohibition of any color additive shown to cause cancer in humans or animals.

Notably, the FDA determined as early as 1990 that Red 3 should be banned in cosmetics because of its link to thyroid cancer in lab rats.

However, the additive continued to be used in foods, largely due to resistance from the food industry. Manufacturers of maraschino cherries, for example, relied on Red 3 to maintain the iconic red hue of their products.

It's also present in thousands of candies, snacks and fruit products.

The United States is one of the last major economies to take action on the dye. The European Union prohibited its use in 1994, with similar bans implemented in Japan, China, the UK, Australia and New Zealand.

CSPI hailed the decision as overdue and expressed hope it would lead to further action against other potentially harmful chemicals in food.

"They don't add any nutritional value, they don't preserve the food -- they're just there to make food look pretty," Thomas Galligan, a scientist with CSPI, told AFP.

"There's growing discussion across the political spectrum about food additives and chemicals, which reflects ongoing failures by the FDA."