Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27617025›Full record

ArticleJournal of occupational medicine and toxicology (London, England)2016

Holi colours contain PM10 and can induce pro-inflammatory responses.

Katrin Bossmann, Sabine Bach, Conny Höflich, Kerttu Valtanen, Rita Heinze, Anett Neumann, Wolfgang Straff, Katrin Süring

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of occupational medicine and toxicology (London, England), 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
1.3field-weighted citation impact, top 21% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 16 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. The Fire and Explosion Hazard of Coloured Powders Used during the Holi Festival.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021
    Article
  3. Holi colors and chemical contact keratitis.Eye (London, England) · 2018
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Katrin BossmannEnvironmental Medicine and Health Effects Assessment, Federal Environment Agency, Corrensplatz 1, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
Sabine BachEnvironmental Medicine and Health Effects Assessment, Federal Environment Agency, Corrensplatz 1, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
Conny HöflichEnvironmental Medicine and Health Effects Assessment, Federal Environment Agency, Corrensplatz 1, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
Kerttu ValtanenMicrobiological Risk Assessment, Federal Environment Agency, Corrensplatz 1, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
Rita HeinzeToxicology of drinking water, Federal Environment Agency, Heinrich-Heine-Str. 12, 08645 Bad Elster, Germany.
Anett NeumannEnvironmental Medicine and Health Effects Assessment, Federal Environment Agency, Corrensplatz 1, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
Wolfgang StraffEnvironmental Medicine and Health Effects Assessment, Federal Environment Agency, Corrensplatz 1, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
Katrin SüringEnvironmental Medicine and Health Effects Assessment, Federal Environment Agency, Corrensplatz 1, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
German Environment Agency · DE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAt Holi festivals, originally celebrated in India but more recently all over the world, people throw coloured powder (Holi powder, Holi colour, Gulal powder) at each other. Adverse health effects, i.e. skin and ocular irritations as well as respiratory problems may be the consequences. The aim of this study was to uncover some of the underlying mechanisms.

methodsWe analysed four different Holi colours regarding particle size using an Electric field cell counting system. In addition, we incubated native human cells with different Holi colours and determined their potential to induce a pro-inflammatory response by quantifying the resulting cytokine production by means of ELISA (Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay) and the resulting leukocyte oxidative burst by flow cytometric analysis. Moreover, we performed the XTT (2,3-Bis-(2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium-5-carboxanilide) and Propidium iodide cytotoxicity tests and we measured the endotoxin content of the Holi colour samples by means of the Limulus Amebocyte Lysate test (LAL test).

resultsWe show here that all tested Holi colours consist to more than 40 % of particles with an aerodynamic diameter smaller than 10 μm, so called PM10 particles (PM, particulate matter). Two of the analysed Holi powders contained even more than 75 % of PM10 particles. Furthermore we demonstrate in cell culture experiments that Holi colours can induce the production of the pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α (Tumor necrosis factor-α), IL-6 (Interleukine-6) and IL-1β (Interleukine-1β). Three out of the four analysed colours induced a significantly higher cytokine response in human PBMCs (Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells) and whole blood than corn starch, which is often used as carrier substance for Holi colours. Moreover we show that corn starch and two Holi colours contain endotoxin and that certain Holi colours display concentration dependent cytotoxic effects in higher concentration. Furthermore we reveal that in principle Holi colours and corn starch are able to generate an oxidative burst in human granulocytes and monocytes. In Holi colour 1 we detected a fungal contamination.

conclusionsSome of the observed unwanted health effects of Holi colours might be explained by the high content of PM10 particles in conjunction with the possible induction of a pro-inflammatory response and an oxidative leukocyte burst.

Indexed as

Holi coloursIL-1βIL-6Oxidative burstPM10Pro-inflammatory responseTNF-α

Identifiers

PMID27617025
PMCPMC5018189
OpenAlexW2511354691

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.