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The cost of color: in the “dyeing villages” of Bangladesh, a neglected problem of health risks

Dhaka: When Mohamed Hassan gets to work at 5am, he will keep his hands drenched in water mixed with different pigments for 12 to 14 hours – from earthy to bright colors, depending on the season’s latest fashion trends.

Sometimes Hassan’s complexion gets hurt, and burns due to the combination of chemicals used to obtain a certain colour. But he used to, like hundreds of others in Purinda, one of the villages in Narayanganj district that has gained fame – and notoriety – as the “dyeing villages” of Bangladesh.

Strands of all shades of the rainbow are hung to dry across Purinda, just 20 kilometers from the capital, Dhaka. Behind them, Hassan and his colleagues at the dyeing mills mix and boil salts, acids, and emulsions to create these colors.

“To color the thread red, we make a mixture of three to four colors. Then we rub the thread in this mixture. Later, we soak the bundle of thread in another mixture of colors which makes the thread red,” Hassan told Arab News.

He earns about 22,000 Bangladeshi Taka ($240) per month.

“This work is painful. But I need to do this to make ends meet. I have no other options on hand. Since I learned this business, I will have to do it,” he said.

“I couldn’t shape my life properly when I was young. So, now I don’t dream about making life colorful anymore.”

Dye mill workers color dye yarn in Purinda village, Narayanganj district, Bangladesh, July 27, 2022 (AN photo)

Muhammad Shafiqul Islam, who started working in a dye house in Purinda as a teenager more than 50 years ago, also admits that he suffers from skin lesions where his bare hands come into contact with harsh chemicals every day.

“This job is very painful,” he said. “I may have been able to do another job. But I do this job because I learned this job.”

Skin problems aren’t the only risks workers face.

Dr. ASM Mushiur Rahman, Narayanganj government health official, told Arab News that the dyeing factories in the villages of the Araihazar sub-district do not follow any sanitary protocols, do not have proper protective clothing, and use chemicals that are not only harmful to the skin, but also to the lungs.

A dye mill worker in Purinda village, Narayanganj district, Bangladesh, July 27, 2022 (AN photo)

“Starting with infections in the lungs, it can end with lung cancer,” he said.

“They have bronchitis, coughing, etc. We noticed that the number of TB patients is also high among people who work in these industries.”

There is little awareness among workers and factory owners about the problem.

Muhammad Shah Jalal Pradhan, who owns a dyeing factory in Purinda, admits that the business “has some limitations”.

He said, “The chemicals we use give off bad odors. Some of our workers are allergic.”

A dyeing agent coloring filaments in Purinda village, Narayanganj district, Bangladesh, July 27, 2022 (AN photo)

The textile sector, which includes dyeing factories, is the number one industry in Bangladesh, employing more than 4 million people, contributing more than 11 percent of the country’s GDP and accounting for 80 percent of exports.

But there is a lack of comprehensive regulation, as dye houses are not officially recognized businesses, allowing owners to evade surveillance by industry regulators, even though the sites have been around for generations.

“These workers are treated as non-institutionalized workers,” said Saleem Mahmood, head of labor rights group Garments Sromik Front in Narayanganj.

“They have no security in their workplace.”

Local authorities say they are not aware of the situation.

Rafiq Al-Islam, the chief administrative officer of Aryahizar district, told Arab News that the administration “wasn’t aware of this kind of business entity before.”

He added, “Generally, we do not inspect this type of factory, but if we find any complaints against any business, we check it. So far, no one has told us anything about this.”

Sources 1/ https://Google.com/ 2/ https://www.arabnews.com/node/2044151/world The mention sources can contact us to remove/changing this article

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