A red pigment known as Sindoor powder or vermillion, commonly daubed on the face during Hindi ceremonies could contain unsafe levels of lead, according to a report published by Reuters.Sindoor powder sold in the United States and India could have unsafe levels of lead, warn researchers.
Sindoor, also called vermilion, is a brilliant scarlet powder used during Hindu religious and cultural ceremonies. Sindoor is often used by women who wear a bindi, or red dot, on their foreheads for cosmetic purposes. Married women may also put it in the parting of their hair to indicate they are married, and men and children may wear it for religious purposes. A new study has found that some manufacturers use lead tetroxide to give sindoor a distinctive red colour.
A study conducted by Rutgers School of Public Health revealed that Of the 118 sindoor samples tested in the study, 95 were from South Asian stores in New Jersey. Another 23 came from stores in Mumbai and New Delhi, in India. Overall, about 80% of the samples had at least some lead, and about a third contained levels above the limit set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.(20 micrograms per gram).
“There is no safe level of lead,” Study Author Derek Shendell told Reuters Health. “It shouldn’t be in our bodies, especially for children aged under 6.