Dangers of synthetic sindoor/kumkum

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The Hazards of Synthetic Sindoor

 

Studies disclose serious health risks from chemical cosmetics marketed for

the

ancient Hindu practice of adorning the forehead with red powder

 

By Tirtho Banerjee, Lucknow, India

 

The recent New Jersey case in which a couple and their 13-year-old child

were

diagnosed with serious lead poisoning due to regular consumption of sindoor

as

a food coloring has come as a shock. Sindoor was never meant for use in any

type of eatable. Sindoor or kumkum as it is known in the South, is meant for

use as a forehead mark, referred to as tilak, bindi or pottu, put on the

spot

between the brows which is considered the seat of latent wisdom, the ajna

chakra. The case highlights modern cosmetic manufacturers' use of synthetic

and

often dangerous materials for making sindoor, which are harmful, even when

just

used for ornamentation

 

While sindoor was the ancient name given to the very toxic, red, mercury

oxide,

as a cosmetic its most common base is turmeric powder which becomes red when

mixed with lime juice or lime powder (calcium compound), moistened in water,

or

with alum, iodine and camphor, or with oil and sea shell powder (calcium

salts), or aguru, chandan and kasturi. It can also be made of sandalwood

mixed

with musk, or from a mixture of saffron ground with kusumbha flower. Another

traditional ingredient used in making kumkum was raw rice in water heated in

a

pan until it formed into a glue-like red carbonaceous compound which

solidified

on cooling. At the time of placing the kumkum, it was made into a paste by

adding water. National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI) color experts say

that in olden days sindoor was made with a special type of red marble stone,

covered with turmeric and a little oil and left undisturbed for a few days,

after which it turned into red powder. In Tamil, turmeric powder is known as

manjal and the final product is called manjal kunkumam.

 

However, these traditional preparations have long been forgotten. Today most

modern cosmetic product manufacturers produce sindoor and kumkum from

synthetic

materials, lead, zinc and industrial dyes. It is also called red lead

(Pb3O4).

Manufacturers follow no single method. Some mix oxidized metals and

substandard

oil to bring about the texture. Now sindoor is also available in liquid

form.

Scientists also say that it would not be surprising if the red sindoor color

was attained by adding Rhodamine B dye, which can induce hereditary

disorders.

Red is also being derived from mercury sulphite, which can cause skin

cancer.

All these toxic substances can trigger hair loss, edema and erythema.

 

Branded sindoor and kumkum, even the liquid sindoor marketed by the reputed

cosmetic company, Lakme, does not carry the mandatory label of ingredients.

Adding to the toxicity problem are a flood of unbranded products on the

markets. Even big shops in urban markets sell spurious or unbranded products

without a list of ingredients.

 

Way back in 1994, a working group comprising the Central Pollution Control

Board (CPCB), Delhi, CUTS and Pharmacopoeial Laboratory of Indian Medicine

(PLIM), Ghaziabad, was formed to verify the detailed technical information

of

ingredients of liquid kumkum, sticker bindi and sindoor before awarding the

Ecomark. Ecomarked products must satisfy the quality, performance and safety

requirements of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). These products are

also

required to declare the list of critical inputs and are not supposed to be

manufactured from any carcinogenic or harmful ingredients. Though the

Ecomark

has been made mandatory, to date no producer of sindoor or kumkum has

applied

for it.

 

Sindoor can cause local irritation and skin toxicity, says N. M. Khanna, an

ex-Central Drug Research Institute scientist. The nature of sindoor or

kumkum

can change with exposure to the environment over time and this can result in

blisters, itching, rashes, pigmentation and, at times, serious

dermatological

disorders. In a survey conducted by the Consumer Unity and Trusts Society

(CUTS), Kolkata, in November 2001, half of the respondents (consumers) said

that they had suffered allergic reaction to personal care products which

included bindi and sindoor. The synthetic adhesive used in sticker bindis

may

lead to eczema, leucoderma or skin irritation. Dr. Roopa Vajpayee, a

consumer

activist of Delhi-based Voluntary Organisation in Interest of Consumer

Education (VOICE), says the use of sticker bindis can cause white patches on

the forehead.

 

Monitorings of lead levels in food materials undertaken from time to time by

the Industrial Toxicology Research Centre (ITRC) have also found possible

exposure to lead through adulterated sindoor. A scientist at ITRC says lead

enters humans mostly through ingestion, inhalation, skin absorption and in

utero exposures. Ingestion can occur through lead contaminated hands, he

adds.

Lead exposure can lead to a wide range of biological effects, depending upon

the level and duration of exposure. When ingested, inhaled or absorbed, lead

can harm virtually every organ in the human body, especially the brain,

kidney

and reproductive systems.

 

Sindoor (also called vermillion) and kumkum have traveled through more than

5,000 years of Hindu culture. Female figurines excavated at Mehrgarh,

Baluchistan, show that sindoor was applied to the partition of women's hair

even in early Harappan times. Legends says that Radha, the consort of Lord

Krishna, turned the kumkum into a flame like design on her forehead. In the

epic Mahabharata, Draupadi, the wife of the Pandavas, is believed to have

wiped

her sindoor in disgust and despair. The Puranas, Lalitha Sahasranamam and

Soundarya Lahhari all mention their use.

 

Hindu astrologers say that, Mesha Rashi or the House of Aries is on the

forehead. The Lord of Mesha is Mars and his color is red. It is believed to

be

auspicious. This is why red sindoor is applied at the forehead and at the

parting of the hair. Both are signs of saubhagya (good fortune). Sindoor is

also considered to be the symbol of the female energy of Parvati and Sati.

 

Sadly, today not only the ingredients of sindoor, but the methods for

applying

the bindi have been distorted. The traditional forehead marks have all but

been

replaced by black and red velvet cloth pressings, available in the

ready-to-use

sticker type forms. Sticker bindis, as we call them, come in every color,

form,

size and shape. They are a fashion statement these days. A majority of the

young female population sports the red bindi as an embellishment to match

their

outfits. It has been transformed into an ornamental mark and lost its

traditional meanings and preparations.

 

In ancient India, flower garlands were an important part of the evening

dress

of both men and women. They were often accompanied by visesakachhedya,

painting

the forehead with a bindi or tilak. In those days, thin and tender leaves

used

to be cut into different shapes and pasted upon the forehead.The dhava plant

(grislea tomentosa) and its hard, blood-red clustered bushes are referred to

as

sindura (puspi) in the Unadi Sutras of Panini's Astadhyayi.

 

Sindoor and kumkum have social and religious significance attached to them.

Placed at the top of the forehead at the parting of the hair, it signifies

that

a woman is married. In North India, it is customary for a husband to apply

sindoor on his wife's forehead during important festivals. Sindoor is

offered

to married women on Navaratri and Sankranti. Sindoor and kumkum are also

offered to Gods mostly in temples dedicated to Shakti, Lakshmi and Vishnu.

The

widespread use of tilak, pottu and bindi is deeply embedded in Hindu culture

and here to stay.

 

A global spread of health awareness is prompting an industry-wide makeover.

Now

many companies are claiming to be making bindis in ISO 9002 certified

manufacturing facilities with nontoxic and nonallergenic adhesives on the

back.

Similarly, cosmetic stalwarts like Shahnaz Hussain are claiming to produce

safe

herbal sindoor containing precious herbs and flowers such as hibiscus,

marigold, safflower and chandan. We hope the entire industry follows their

example and provides nontoxic products.

 

Namaste,

 

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original

author and to Hinduism Today.

 

Sannyasin Arumugaswami Managing Editor Hinduism Today Magazine

 

 

Article taken from Dandavats - http://www.dandavats.com

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