Can “cotton wool” cause cancer? Some Indian states believe that, and have banned the sale of the sweet treat.

Last week, the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu implemented the ban after laboratory tests confirmed the presence of a cancer-causing substance, of Rhodamine-B, in samples sent for testing.

Earlier this month, the Puducherry district has banned the sweetener, while other states have started testing samples of it.

Cotton candy is popular with children all over the world. You can find the delicacy in children’s or theme parks, fairs, exhibitions and other places of entertainment frequented by children, who go crazy because of its sticky texture that melts in the mouth.

But some Indian officials say the situation she’s not that “sweet”… Sathish Kumar, food safety officer in the Tamil Nadu city of Chennai, told the Indian Express newspaper that contaminants in cotton wool “could cause cancer and affect all the organs of the body”.

His group raided street vendors last week. Mr. Kumar said that the sweet sold in the city was made by independent vendors and not by licensed factories.

A few days later, the government announced a ban on its sale, after laboratory tests detected the presence of Rhodamine-B, a chemical compound, in the samples. The chemical imparts a fluorescent pink hue to cotton wool, and is also used to textile dyes, cosmetics and inks.

Studies have shown that the chemical may increase the risk of cancer, and both Europe and California have banned its use as a food dye.

Health minister Ma Subramanian bans cotton wool in Tamil Nadustating the use of Rhodamine-B in “the packaging, importation, sale of food or the serving of food containing it at weddings and other public events” would be punishable under the law.

The neighboring state of Andhra Pradesh has also started testing cotton wool samples to check for the presence of the carcinogen. Earlier this week, the New India Express newspaper reported that food safety officials in the Indian capital Delhi was also pushing for a ban on the delicacy.