SINGAPORE (Reuters) - A test by Singapore air force of a red
plume of smoke for an acrobatic display has backfired after a cloud
of the dye polluted nearby farms' vegetable plots.
The air force was testing the dye on the ground, but strong winds
carried the smoke away from the base, the ministry of defense said
in a statement on Saturday.
Nearby farms had to destroy 200 tonnes of vegetables -- about 10
truck loads -- since the dye is not approved for food use, the
Straits Times paper said.
The ministry of defense said it would not cause adverse health
effects if inhaled.
The paper said it had received a flurry of complaints from people
saying everything from a pet cat to white cars were sprinkled with
the red dye. One farmer estimated his losses at S$70,000 ($48,410),
the paper said.
Claims for compensation will be considered, said the ministry's
Colonel Darius Lim in the statement.
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/world/international-singapore-airforce.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
This kind of news also makes it to the New York Times. 
