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Holi Mantra: Better Safe than Sorry

When it comes to Holi, the entire essence lies in the colours. It is with this excitement that we personally select colours for our friends – black colour for the mischievous friend, silver for the rowdy one in the group and red and green for our sweet and kind friends. But what if these colours cause harm and do not depict our love? What if our sweet gestures turn hazardous for our near and dear ones?

Yes! You may not even realise the extent of chemicals being used while making Holi colours. The colours which we apply on our friends’ faces are actually full of chemicals which can lead to problems such as eye infection, skin cancer, hair loss and temporary blindness.

Toxic chemicals are used by manufacturers to get the desired colour. Mercuric oxide gives us red colour, rhodamine B gives us pink colour, lead is used for black colour and copper sulphate is used for green colour. Let us see the possible problems caused by using chemicals in colours.

Image source: www.thehindu.com

Conjunctivitis and Other Eye Infections: While playing Holi, our eyes are subjected to a lot of pain and torture. If proper care is not taken, colours can get into the eyes and cause problems such as conjunctivitis and other eye infections. Such is the scenario that harmful powdered glass is used in colours to give them a shiny texture. Powdered glass can easily damage your eyes. Just be careful and play safe to avoid eye problems later.

Dermatitis: The chemicals in your favourite colours can lead to inflammation of the skin. Itching and blistering can cause severe pain. Do not expose your skin to excessive colours. Nickel is used in some colours; this can lead to dermatitis and pneumonia.

Asthma: Colours can even lead to breathing problems if inhaled or consumed. You may experience breathing problems which can lead to asthma. The presence of chromium in colours can even lead to bronchial asthma.

Eczema: Eczema is the condition where the skin gets inflamed and scaly. This usually happens when the skin is subjected to harsh colours.

Fever: The presence of chemicals such as zinc can lead to fever, fatigue and pneumonitis. There is no point enjoying the festival if you fall sick the next day.

Skin Cancer: The presence of mercury sulphate in colours can even lead to skin cancer.

 

Precautions to be Taken

-Apply oil and body lotions on your body before stepping out to play Holi, as this will not subject your body to the direct contact of chemicals.

-Ask your friends to not be harsh on you when it comes to applying colours. After all, being straight forward is better than bearing pain.

-Use natural and homemade colours. It is better to be safe than to be sorry.

-Oil your hair well so that the colour does not stick and streak your hair with many unwanted hues.

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