RAJAMANI, S.: HEALTH HAZARDS TO CHILDREN WORKING IN TRADITIONAL COTTAGE &

SMALL SCALE INDUSTRIAL ENVIRONMENT IN INDIA

K. Sri Balakameswari and S. Rajamani **

** Director Grade Scientist and Head , Environmental Technology Department, Central Leather Research Institute

Adyar, Chennai – 600 020, India , Telefax: # 91 44 24916351, Mobile : 98400 63210

The largest child workforce in the world is engaged by India and many of them are working in industries that have export markets like carpet weaving, match and fireworks, gem polishing, glass blowing, brassware and electro-plating, lead mining, stone quarrying, lock making, beedi rolling, weaving, agricultural sector etc.

Tamil Nadu in South India is one of the states with the highest concentration of child laborers working in health hazards prone areas. It is estimated that more than 2,000,000 children, three quarters of them girls, are employed in the match and fire works factories, tobacco mills and other rock quarries located in the drought-prone areas of Tamil Nadu. Child labor are engaged in traditional unorganized cottage level units such as silver jewelry making, Gem stonecutting and polishing, beedi making, silk weaving in addition to agriculture and other industrial sectors. Nearly 10,000 children are working in silver smithies in Salem Town and 8,000 to 10,000 are engaged in the gem stone cutting and polishing industry in Tiruchirapalli District. In Kanchipuram, which is world famous for silk sarees, 40,000 to 50,000 children are engaged in silk weaving handlooms.

When children are working in unhygienic and hazardous working environment without proper protection they are exposed to a number of potentially dangerous working situations and evidences are also prevailing. Working at a young age in a hazardous environment with exposure to fumes, particulate emissions etc. results in lifelong health problems. Children are more vulnerable to occupational diseases and injuries because of their anatomical and psychosocial characteristics. The impacts are not diagnosed fully at the initial stages of the work and show up only after a reasonable time lapse. Due to unauthorised nature of unorganised small and medium scale traditional sector and their lack of health care facilities, few health records are available on child labour.

The primary health hazard noticed in children working in gem stone cutting and silk weaving is damage to the vision followed by muscular disorders. Children working in the stone quarries and slate industries inhale silicon dust, which forms patches of silica on their lungs, thereby reducing their capacity to absorb oxygen. Likewise in the carpet weaving industry children bend over looms in dark sheds all day with little ventilation or seating room. Work in this industry starts as early as age 7, setting the children up for a lifetime of breathing diseases, joint and finger pains and emaciation. Occupational health hazards associated in agricultural sector is quite significant in India with exposure to organic dusts, toxic chemicals and pesticides.