UNHOLY COLOURS OF HOLI

 

UNHOLY COLOURS OF HOLI

 Nikunja Bihari Sahu

 

   Holi, the festival of colours, is warmly celebrated in our culture that breaks all the barriers of age and caste. Chemistry of Holi colours show that these are usually industrial dyes mixed with various Bases of inorganic origin which have detrimental effects on our body and the environment.

 

  COLOURS USED IN HOLI

 There are mainly four types of   colours available in the market for Holi such as Abira, Dry Powders, Pastes, and Water colours.

Abira

The  Abira has two components – a Colourant that is usually an oxidised heavy metal such as Cadmium, Chromium, Iron, Lead, Mercury, Nickel, Zinc, etc. or toxic coal tar dyes or ‘azo’ group  dyes such as Auramine ( for producing yellow colour ), Malachite (for producing green colour), Rhodamine (for producing orange colour), Methylene (for producing blue colour) and so on. The other part of the Abira is a Base which could either be Asbestos or Silica in which the colours are blended. Besides, the Abira also contains sand, starch, salt, mica or powdered glass for providing extra lustre.

 Dry Powder Colour

These contain various inorganic compounds such as Copper Sulphate (for producing Green colour), Lead Oxide (for producing Black colour), Mercury Sulphite (for producing Red colour), Chromium Iodide (for producing Purple colour, Aluminium Bromide (for producing Silver colour) etc.

Pastes

Sometimes, inorganic dry colours are mixed in a Base of engine oil or other inferior quality oils to make a paste which is easy to apply on the body. Adding oils to the colour increases its toxicity level and the permeability of the colours to human skin aggravating the symptoms.

  Liquid Colours

 Liquid colours used in Holi generally include Inks, Iodine solution, Gentian violet, Methylene blue, Mercurochrome, Potassium Permanganate and so on. In all these colours, the colourant part either contains a heavy metal or some inorganic dyes.

 Harmful Effects on the Body

 All these materials are highly toxic to the body on short term and long term basis.

          Lead is the most dangerous heavy metal used for producing brilliant colours. It affects mainly the nervous system, kidneys and reproductive system of the body. Exposure to Lead gives rise to complications such as anaemia, headache, abdominal pain, joint discomfort and old-age osteoporosis. Moreover, Lead poisoning retards the physical and mental growth of children and results in miscarriage, abortion, premature birth, low birth weight or nervous damage of the foetus for women.

         Mercury is another toxic metal used mainly for imparting red colour. When applied on the face, fine colour particles containing mercury may enter into the respiratory tract and produce disorders like cough, breathlessness or even pneumonia. Mercury poisoning results in many health related problems including headache, increased heart beat rate, itching, and tremors, fall in blood pressure level and forgetfulness. Besides, Mercury is a possible carcinogenic substance. Pregnant mothers exposed to Mercury may give birth to under-weight babies with mental retardations.

      Green colour contains Copper Sulphate, which can cause itching, redness or swelling of the eyes and even temporary or permanent blindness. Likewise, purple colour contains Chromium Iodide, which can cause severe allergy or may induce bronchial asthma in a hypersensitive person. Aluminium Bromide present in silver colours has proven to be carcinogenic.

        Some other dyes used in Holi such as Auramine, Malachite, Rhodamine, and Methylene have several toxic effects on our body. Auramine causes irritation to mouth, throat and stomach, eye irritation and blurred vision, skin itching and redness, mutagenesis and growth impairment, liver tumour, hepatic and renal disorders. Malachite is a genotoxic carcinogen that causes damage to bones, eyes and lungs. It may be responsible for malignant tumours in testis, ovary, urinary bladder, kidney, liver, spleen and breast. Rhodamine causes cancer and genetic disorders as well as degenerative changes in liver, spleen, kidney and urinary bladder.

     In addition, Asbestos, Silica and Powdered Glass, widely used as Base in dry colours are harmful to humans. Asbestos is a well-known cancer causing material while Silica and powdered Glass may damage eyes and skin. Coloured pastes comprising inferior quality oils cause skin allergy, itching or even temporary blindness. Many Water colours contain alkali as the base. When such colours enter into the eyes, they can create serious problems of vision. Gentian violet, the most widely used colour concentrate used during Holi, can cause skin discolouration, dermatitis, skin allergy or irritation of the mucous membrane.

               Even the way people play Holi is also risky. Some people make thick paste of a dry colour with little amount of water on their hands and rub it on the faces of others. If fine particles like powdered glass in the dry colour get into the eyes of the victim, they can cause irritation, swelling or pain in the eye. Rubbing of cheap and inferior quality Abira on the face may lead to scratches and rashes on skin.

             Apart from these serious health problems, use of inorganic toxic colours also has various environmental impacts. All these colouring ingredients of Holi are non-biodegradable. When washed away, residues enter water sources affecting the food chain of the entire eco- system.

 Natural Colour Options for holi

The only healthy alternative to avoid the toxic dyes bringing fatal consequences is to enjoy the Holi with natural and eco-friendly colours, prepared from different plant parts like flowers and leaves. Efforts are on , both by Government and Non-governmental sectors,  to produce safe and harmless organic colours for Holi. Of special mention, is the National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI), Lucknow that  has made some organic Holi colours from vegetable dyes.

 

                                                                  District Science Officer

                                                                              Dhenkanal

                                                                          Phone:8018708858