Temper colour with caution: Experts

AHMEDABAD, Feb 28: The approach of a festival is always associated with excitement. But, say experts, when the festival is Holi, the exci...

AHMEDABAD, Feb 28: The approach of a festival is always associated with excitement. But, say experts, when the festival is Holi, the excitement should be tempered with caution.

8220;Using gulal to play Holi, as was practiced earlier was safe8221;, says head of the Gujarat University8217;s chemistry department Y K Agrawal. 8220;But nowadays the colours are mostly synthetic and usually made of dyes. Since dyes are toxic, they may cause allergies or other allergies to the skin. Moreover, in the expectation of more profits, some unscrupulous traders adulterate their products, which can be dangerous8221;.

According to Agrawal, some colour manufacturers even used azo dyes in their products. 8220;Though azo dyes are banned because they8217;re dangerous, some manufacturers manage to get hold of them and use them8221;, he says.

Chemical expert C G Dave, principal of M G Science College, agrees, 8220;Use of chemicals as colours during Holi can cause health hazards. Chemical dyes are not water-soluble, hence it8217;s difficult to get them off the skin. Many people use kerosene and alcohol to remove them, but this only enhances the damage8221;.

For the most part, says Dave, the colour does no harm if it persists in the face or hands. 8220;But if the chemical colours penetrate the eyes or the hair, it can be dangerous8221;, he warns.

While the experts know about the dangers, the man on the street is gradually becoming aware of the hazards of unsafe colours. Deepak, a college student, says his friends and he have decided to 8220;boycott8221; Holi this year because of the chemical colours some people insisted on using. 8220;Last year, my girl friend suffered an allergy on her cheek; it was triggered by a chemical colour. Therefore, this year, we8217;ve decided to restrict ourselves to gulal and water8221;, he says.

However, children, for the most part, continue to fall prey to the lure of chemical colours. On Saturday, the last day before school closed for the Holi holidays, groups of schoolchildren were seen enjoying themselves with indelible colours.

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Nikhil, whose face was streaked with several colours, told Express Newsline, Sabke munh pe kala colour lagana acchha lagta hai I love to use black colour on everybody8217;s face.8221; But he admitted he had no idea what the colour was made up of.

Some not-so-young people, too, succumb to the childish temptation of using unnatural colours. 8220;It8217;s nice to see a friend trying hard to get the colour off8221;, laughs Ashish, 25.

His father8217;s generation, howvever, disapproves of such tactics in a fun festival. 8220;People now spend more time removing colours than playing Holi8221;, says 50-plus Dineshbhai. 8220;Ab Holi mein pehle jaisa mazaa nahin raha8221;.