Focus on Women

Women have to be very careful about lead poisoning. The cosmetics are the utility products used extensively worldwide for maintaining and improving general appearance of face and other parts of the body e.g. mouth, hand fingers, eye, hair etc. The main objective of the cosmetic application is to look more impressive, beautiful and smart to a considerable extent. Kohl (kajal/surma) and Sindoor (kumkum) are the two important traditional cosmetics, which are used since ancient times. Kohls are very popular in Asia, Africa and Middle East, which are applied around the eyes to beautify them. Women are frequently using these two traditional cosmetics without knowing the health hazards of these utility products.

Lead can poison children and adults alike, but children under the age of six are the most susceptible. Young children still have growing, developing brains and nervous systems, and any toxic substance may adversely affect the course of their normal development. In children under six years old, the blood brain barrier has not yet completely formed, increasing the child's risk to severe damage from lead exposure.