NEW DELHI: India’s Holi festival, when people spray red, silver and yellow powder at each other to mark the start of spring, may be a good time to stay indoors if police and doctors are to be believed.Holi, which many Indians in the Hindu-majority nation celebrate with gusto, sees people of all faiths trying to blur inhibitions in a haze of colour to welcome the new season.

But the festival’s growing popularity has drawn concern from police and doctors, who for different reasons are urging more caution.

“Don’t let Holi lose all its colours,” warned a police advertisement in major newspapers this week, promising to crack down on drunken behaviour and harassment of women.

But also cautioning the public were dermatologists, who said the cheap chemical-based powder colours that contributed to the vibrancy and fun quotient of the festival were a major health hazard.

“One should particularly stay away from silver and red colours, because they are more toxic” than others, warned R.K. Joshi, a dermatologist at New Delhi’s Apollo Hospital.

“These colours are metallic oxides, some also contain industrial dyes. These are carcinogenic. They could enter the body through the nails, mouth and even nostrils” and cause a range of health problems, he said.

“These colours are harmful for the eyes and hair too.” A New Delhi-based environmental group, Toxics Link, which conducted a study on the harmful effects of chemical powder colours, said many contained mica, acids, alkalis and even coarsely ground glass.

“Some of these impair vision and cause respiratory problems,” said a press release by the group.

Metals like lead, chromium, cadmium and nickel caused learning disabilities, bronchial asthma, dermatitis and pneumonia, it added.

According to Manisha Gutman, an activist campaigning for the use of organic or plant-based powder colours, people were gradually becoming aware of the dangers of using chemical powders and were “turning to these naturally made products”.—AFP