FALSE: US makes dicyanin dye illegal because of its supernatural properties

At a glance

• Claim: The United States has made dicyanin dye illegal since the 1940s because it can be used to see the astral plane when placed between two glasses. 
• Rating: FALSE
• The facts: Dicyanin dye is not included in the list of chemicals that are illegal and controlled in the US. Research on dicyanin and manufacturers that made it did not say anything about dicyanin dye possessing supernatural properties. It is only used for laboratory purposes in the fields of astronomy and spectrochemical research. 
• Why we fact-checked this: The post with this claim has over 431,000 reactions, 7,949 comments, and 2,300,000 views on TikTok, as of writing.

Complete details

A TikTok video from user “@sigmund.fried” says that the United States has made the substance called dicyanin dye illegal since the 1940s because of its supernatural properties. 

In the video, the man says that dicyanin dye can be used to see the astral plane and can also be used to observe human auras if placed between two glasses.

The man also says that, because of this property, the US government has made the use and creation of dicyanin dye illegal.

The post with this claim has over 431,000 reactions, 7,949 comments, and 2,300,000 views on TikTok, as of writing.

This claim is false. 

Dicyanin dye is not included in the list of chemicals that are illegal and controlled in the US. 

The substance can be requested and ordered by the public from chemical companies, such as Skylead Pharmaceuticals & Chemicals. 

According to a Safety Data Sheet for dicyanin of a company named Fisher Scientific. which also once manufactured dicyanin, dicyanin dye is recommended for laboratory use. The data sheet says that, although dicyanin dye is not classified as hazardous by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, medical attention is advised to those who accidentally ingest it. 

Fisher Scientific’s Safety Data Sheet also says that dicyanin dye is not listed in the United States Toxic Substances Controlled Act and the US Department of Homeland Security. 

The United States National Institute of Standards and Technology uses dicyanin dye for laboratory purposes in the fields of astronomy and spectrochemical research. The institution does not mention anything about dicyanin dye possessing supernatural properties.

A review published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) in 1912 also rejected the study of medical electrician Dr. Walter Kilner, the first person who published a study that said dicyanin dye allowed a person to see human auras.

“Such question-begging statements, the extraordinary claims of the author, and the use of such terms as ‘No. 1 auric force,’ ‘No. 2 auric force,’ even when given a scientific air by designating them as “1 AF” and “2 AF,” were not reassuring,” the medical journal said. 

The review also said that scientists who were members of BMJ tried to replicate the results of Kilner’s study, but all the experiments ended in negative results. – Lorenz Pasion/Rappler.com

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