Bindis come with a tag: lead poisoning
The industry is worth around Rs 15 crore in Tamil Nadu of which Chennai alone accounts for around Rs 3 crore. Most bindis, however, come to the State from Maharashtra BY ZUBEDA HAMID They are ubiquitous. Designer bindis, pottus of all shapes and sizes, little pots of colour and kumkum powder find a place in almost every neighbourhood store, bought by dozens of women everyday. Besides the heightened colour they give to beautiful faces, they may also be giving them something quite unwanted. Lead poisoning. Concern has been rising ever since, a manufacturer was recently forced to withdraw a large batch of bindis and kumkum from the United States when they were found to contain higher than the permissible levels of lead. S Shobana, a dermatologist in the city, said she saw around three cases every month of women who had developed rashes or skin inflammation because of the bindis or kumkum they used.