The cheap Holi missile, labeled unsafe for children below 8 years, can even cause cancer
The cheap Holi missile, labeled unsafe for children below 8 years, can even cause cancer
China-made balloons, carrying 'hazardous for children below 8' label, are selling like hot cakes in the markets this Holi season, courtesy shopkeepers who are promoting the cheaper balloons to make a bigger killing at the cost of customers' health.
Shop owners are persuading buyers that water balloons made in India are of substandard quality wheras the ones made in China are of good quality
The outlets, selling Holi paraphernalia, are convincing customers that India-made balloons are substandard and costly, while they are busy promoting China-made balloons that bear a warning: Choking hazard for children under 8 years.
According to the experts, colors used in such balloons have carcinogenic chemicals that may even cause cancer (see box).
Sureshbhai Fatakawala, one of the shop owners in Kurla, said, "The China-made balloons are cheaper and there is a huge demand for such items in the market, while India made balloons are substandard."
Another shop owner Mohammed Shabbir from Kurla agreed. "I brought packets of China made balloons from south Mumbai, each costing Rs 72. I know they are cheaper because they are cheap in quality, too.
Indian balloons come for Rs 120 a dozen. Hazard is not our headache, we are here to make profit. We are not forcing customers to buy China balloons, they are opting for the items as they are cheaper. If the customers are not making a fuss about the hazardous thing, why should we care about it?"
Ravindra Porwal, zonal secretary of Toy Association of India and distributor and manufacture of toys, said, "Whenever there is any product coming from China it comes with the report of that particular product. The customs department blindly clears the products on the basis of the report carried out in China.
They don't try to find out whether the product is genuine or safe for consumption or external use. So it's the government's duty to set up a counter testing lab in our country to verify the authenticity of the reports of products imported from China."
Dr Sushant Mane, a paediatrician at JJ Hospital, said, "We often get cases of balloon attacks on people, but not so many of choking. Balloons in general are hazardous whether it is India-made or imported. If a child puts it in the mouth by mistake he can choke."
What is a Carcinogen?
Carcinogen is an agent u00a0that can cause cancer. Carcinogens can be chemicals, viruses, hormone or solid materials. Carcinogens produce cancer by changing the information that cells receive from their DNA, u00a0causing immature cells to accumulate in the body u00a0rather than differentiate into normal functional cells.
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