Dangers of synthetic sindoor/kumkum

10-26-2006, 08:27 PM

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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Sannyasin Arumugaswami Managing Editor Hinduism Today Magazine

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