Let us live non-toxic color life

Colors and art material products are known to many, but common man today does not know the hazardous effects of it

Colors and art material products are known to many, but common man today does not know the best suitable product for him and thus prefers the cheap imitation in the market. The cheap goods are less expensive than the good branded product but common person is unaware of the hazards the cheap quality product could cause to him. This is where the dealers, distributors, retailers, and suppliers have to play their role of educating the customer. First, they themselves should be educated about the product. The golden rule is to know your product well. Though the sales technicalities, the market awareness, the upward and downward profit ratios, preferences etc are important aspect which one cannot ignore in selling, but most important that every dealer, distributor or supplier should know is the product they are selling in the market. If you do not know what you are selling you will not be able to educate your customer for the same, it is indeed an essential part of selling. For this utmost information on the product should be derived from the manufacturers.

Art and craft period was and is the most exciting period for a child or student in the school where he is exposed to different kinds of drawing and paintings which are done by a vast collection of art and craft material consisting from color pencils to oil pastels to paint brushes to water colors to craft papers to glitter glues, stickers, tattoos etc. These art and crafts stationery enhance the artistic and constructive mind of a child and help suffice his hunger for it. However, did you know that these materials have their hazardous sides too?

Crayons & other coloring materials

There are different kinds of coloring materials available in the market. Crayons that are the elementary stationery used by children for drawing in the school are of various types. The first crayon used by the child are the chalk crayons which are more popularly known as colored chalks used for writing on black boards and slates, seeing it's increasing demands the market for chalk crayons is very promising. Then there are normal wax crayons, which popularly used by children for drawing and coloring in the elementary class, they are good for paper and avoids dirtiness. Also water colors and water tubes are used for coloring which are a transparent medium, they allow the paper to show through the paint, hence giving a fresh look. This property of the medium also makes it good for blending two or more colors or making layers of colors. However, one should be very careful with it, as they are known to create a mess. Poster colors are other materials used by children for coloring; they are water based opaque colors that give a Matt finish on application. Nevertheless, like watercolors one needs to be very careful while using poster colors as they too can create a mess if not used carefully. Alternatives to poster colors are the oil pastels, which are very popularly used in the market nowadays by kids and adults. Oil Pastels allow intense coloring, fine shading, tinting, blending of colors and provides effects like etching and embossing. They have no water content in them and so are non-messy. But if you are really looking for a clean, smooth coloring experience then color pencils top the market consumption, as they are a non-messy coloring medium, they are easy to apply, handle and carry and can be sharpened with any regular sharpener.

Harmful Effects

All the above material is good for fulfilling your coloring requirements but they are known to produce harmful toxins hazardous to human life and environment. They are also known to cause severe respiratory problems. Many people have become more alert about the potential hazards of these materials to them and to the environment. Particularly those who have had allergic reactions or health conditions caused by certain materials, are switching to less toxic medium. Others are concerned about the pollution caused from using toxic art supplies. One should very carefully use these products. Every product containing such harmful chemicals should bear a warning statement of the hazard and an additional warning stating that it is inappropriate for use by children. Children are especially prone to mishandling, chewing, or swallowing art materials and decorating their hands and faces with them. So special care should be taken to this. All arts and crafts materials must identify the hazardous ingredients, provide guidelines for safe use, identify that the product complies with Indian law, and provide a telephone number for the consumer to request additional information. This information must appear on the label, the packaging, or the display for the product. Although this law has been in effect, it is not fully practiced though, as huge part of the market is very unorganized in India and there are still plenty of products in the market, especially imported art products, which are not in compliance with the government. Such goods enter the market and worst part is that the consumer seldom takes them seriously.

Alternatives are a best option

Either one uses the harmful material carefully by wearing gloves and apron while painting or can use it's best alternative present in the market. Like acrylic paints are safer than the usual oil paints used. Many art products like crayons, watercolors, poster paints, finger-paints, chalks, clay etc now manufactured are nontoxic and meet quality and performance standards. Most of these products are branded and are government certified which cause no harm to an individual or environment. These are the best alternative if one wants to use safe art material for schoolwork or just for fun. Though color pencils are less harmful to us, they are manufactured after chopping down many trees, which can be harmful to the environment. This practice can also be put to a stop by using reusable plastic make color pencils or another suitable option available in the market. Also in the craft section many Eco-friendly craft paper are being used instead of the usual ones thus contributing to the Eco-friendly epoch. Colored cellophane in easy to use sheets, harmless stickers and tattoos for craft activities are also advisable. Many other art and craft products are made from Eco-friendly materials like agricultural waste, scrap and more. Other art and craft material like paintbrushes, palettes, drawing stencils can also be made out of reusable plastic.

Practice what you preach

The first and the initial step, is to discard the harmful and cheap products and eradicate them completely from the market itself. If the product itself is not present in the market to buy, the masses will end up buying good quality and hazardous free products. The distributors, dealers and retailers should avoid buying from such manufacturers or importers. If they from their level itself use such preventive measures, the problem of harmful toxic goods can be solved before it reaches the end level or consumer. In addition, they should hand-in-hand with the manufacturer educate the consumer in the rural and urban areas about the ill effects of using such harmful toxic products. One with little self-awareness and social responsibility can make painting and coloring world exciting and safe for the children and adults. After all, it should be an experience to be fondly remembered and not to be bitterly suffered.