Holi colours carry heavy metal risk; can cause renal failure, blindness

NEW DELHI: You could be at risk of exposing yourself to toxic chemicals that are used as colourants in gulaal as well as water colours.

Experts warn that the colours may contain heavy metals like lead, chromium, cadmium, nickel, mercury, zinc and iron. These are known to have a number of ill-effects in the long run, including renal failure, skin allergies, temporary blindness and even skin cancer in the case of mercury sulphite that is found in red gulaal.

The colours also contain chemicals, silica and asbestos, which is a carcinogen and can get built up in the body tissue over a period of time. Satish Sinha, associate director at NGO Toxics Link said switching to herbal colours and using sufficient oil is the best solution for celebrating Holi in a safe manner.

“Protecting your eyes is essential as these chemicals and heavy metals have the greatest impact on them. Wear long clothes, use oils and wash off the colours within a few hours. The safest option is to use organic and herbal colours that are skin-friendly,” said Sinha.

To determine the presence of heavy metals in gulaal, the NGO had earlier carried out testing of blue and red colours through IIT Kanpur. The findings showed mercury in the red samples, which can affect the central nervous system, while copper was discovered in the blue samples, which can harm the eyes, skin, respiratory system and liver.

Doctors said that colours have an alkaline base and should be kept away from the eyes as they can cause temporary vision damage as well as long-term complications.