Why sindoor in your bindi may be bad for babies

New York: Sindoor, a red powder used during Hindu religious and cultural ceremonies, has unsafe levels of lead, a highly toxic poison associated with lower IQ, behavioural problems and growth delays in children, says a study that examined samples of the cosmetic powder collected from India and the US. Sindoor, also called vermillion, is used […]

New York: Sindoor, a red powder used during Hindu religious and cultural ceremonies, has unsafe levels of lead, a highly toxic poison associated with lower IQ, behavioural problems and growth delays in children, says a study that examined samples of the cosmetic powder collected from India and the US.

Sindoor, also called vermillion, is used by women to place a bindi, or red dot, cosmetically on their foreheads. Married women also put it in their hair and it is used by men and children for religious purposes.