Warmth in environment, and change in calender is indicating the approach of Holi, the colorful festival being celebrated in almost all of the parts of India. Holi is a festival of joy and good relationships, as people apply color and hug you to show their willingness in improving their good relationships. Not only color playing, but delicious sweets, sweet drinks and fun&music makes Holi a ever memorable occasion of the year.
Now a days the markets are flooded with inorganic colors, containing lots of heavy metals and harmful pigments. Today I'll be telling something about Copper Suplhate, a coloring agent used for imparting green color in Holi Colors.
Copper sulfate is an inorganic compound that combines sulfur with copper. It can kill bacteria, algae, roots, plants, snails, and fungi. The toxicity of copper sulfate depends on the copper content. Copper is an essential mineral. It can be found in the environment, foods, and water. Copper sulfate has been registered for use in pesticide products in the United States since 1956.
Products containing copper sulfate can be liquids, dusts, or crystals. There are several dozen active products containing copper sulfate on the market in India. Some of these have been approved for use in organic agriculture.
You can be exposed if you are applying copper sulfate and you get it on your skin, breathe it in, or accidentally eat or drink a product. This can also happen if you get some on your hands and eat or smoke without washing your hands first.
Copper sulfate can cause severe eye irritation. Eating large amounts of copper sulfate can lead to nausea, vomiting, and damage to body tissues, blood cells, the liver, and kidneys. With extreme exposures, shock and death can occur.
Copper sulfate affects animals in a similar way. Signs of poisoning in animals include lack of appetite, vomiting, dehydration, shock, and death. Diarrhea and vomit may have a green to blue color.
Copper is an essential element and it is required to support proper health. The human body adjusts its internal environment to maintain copper equilibrium. Copper sulfate is absorbed into the body if eaten or inhaled. It then rapidly enters the bloodstream. Once inside, copper moves throughout the body. It then binds to proteins and enters different organs.
Excess copper is excreted and not often stored in the body. Copper can be collected in the liver but it can also be found in stomach secretions, bone, brain, hair, heart, intestine, kidneys, muscle, nails, skin, and spleen. Copper is mainly excreted in the feces. Small amounts can also be eliminated in hair and nails. In one study, researchers found it takes 13 to 33 days for half of a large copper dose to be eliminated from the body.
Upon oral exposure, copper sulfate is only moderately toxic. According to studies, the lowest dose of copper sulfate that had a toxic impact on humans is 11 mg/kg. Because of its irritating effect on the gastrointestinal tract, vomiting is automatically triggered in case of the ingestion of copper sulfate. However, if copper sulfate is retained in the stomach, the symptoms can be severe. After 1–12 grams of copper sulfate are swallowed, such poisoning signs may occur as a metallic taste in the mouth, burning pain in the chest, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, headache, discontinued urination, which leads to yellowing of the skin. In cases of copper sulfate poisoning, injury to the brain, stomach, liver, or kidneys may also occur.
To avoid such problems, please purchase organic holi colors from here, and be rest assured to enjoy Holi without any worry of any type of poisoning.