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Chromium Toxicity Associated With Holi Colors

As the winters are passing by, India is preparing itself for the colorful month of Holi. Holi is a festival which is celebrated across the length and width of the country with same enthusiasm and happiness. People smear each other in all types of colors available to them. Now a day, due to synthetic colors people are exposed to harmful chemicals present in the ingredients of Holi Colors. One of such notorious ingredient is Chromium, which is mostly used in manufacturing purple color.

Repeated skin contact with chromium dusts can lead to incapacitating eczematous dermatitis with edema. Chromate dusts can also produce irritation of the conjunctiva and mucous membranes, nasal ulcers and perforations, keratitis, gingivitis, and periodontitis.

When a solution of chromate contacts the skin, it can produce penetrating lesions known as chrome holes or chrome ulcers, particularly in areas where a break in the epidermis is already present. These commonly occur on the fingers, knuckles, and forearms. The characteristic chrome sore begins as a papule, forming an ulcer with raised hard edges. Ulcers can penetrate deep into soft tissue or become the sites of secondary infection, but are not known to lead to malignancy.

Lung cancer is the most serious long-term effect. Apart from the carcinogenic potential, prolonged exposure can result in bronchitis, rhinitis, or sinusitis or the formation of nasal mucosal polyps. Besides the lungs and intestinal tract, the liver and kidney are often target organs for chromate toxicity.

If you suspect that you may have been exposed to chromium, you should seek medical advice immediately. Simple tests will be able to establish if you have been affected by the chromium at all and treatment is available to attempt to limit the damage caused.

Chronic low-level chromium poisoning frequently does not produce obvious symptoms. A blood test, urinalysis and liver tests are used in cases of suspected chromium poisoning to test the chromium levels in the blood and urine.

To avoid all these problems related to Chromium toxicity kindly get organic colors for Holi celebration. If you want you can get best quality organic holi color you can click here