Chemical colours swarm local market

Neeraj Bagga

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, March 20

Chemical colour powder and sprays along with pichkaris of different hues and designs have flooded the local market. Pichkaris, carrying photos of political leaders, too are seen in abundance.

Manufacturers of chemical colours have done their job by pasting warning stickers on them, but buyers, mostly children, don’t tend to read the warning, which is generally written in tiny words and not easily readable. So, the warning remains out of sight of its consumers. The packaged colours carry the warning that the product is for industrial use only. The fluid containing colour, if directed towards the face, can be harmful for nose, eyes, ear and skin, say experts.

Dr Charan Kamal Singh said the dry colours contained asbestos, silica, mud or urea and these cause serious health problems. Heavy metals in these colours can even cause asthma, skin diseases as a long term exposure and can affect the eyes adversely. Eye irritation and corneal ulcer can be caused immediately. He elaborated that wet colours mostly use gentian violet as a colour concentrate, which can cause skin discolouration, allergic reaction and dermatitis.

On the other hand, those involved in selling these products justified by saying that the good quality colour comes at an exorbitant price having very little profit margin. A shopkeeper, Krishan Kakkar, said a good quality ‘gulal’ is four times costlier than the chemical-infested ones.