Chemicals are used in every field, be it agriculture, electronics, textile or any other industry and a large number of people suffer from health conditions due to the unsafe use of chemical. This was said during an awareness seminar on ‘Safe Handling and Disposal of Dyes’ organised by University of Karachi (KU), Department of Chemistry on Friday. The awareness seminar was held in collaboration with Office of Research Innovation and Commercialization (ORIC) at KU’s art auditorium. The speakers said that it was crucial for chemical manufacturing firms to follow all safety precautions issued by the government while preparing chemicals. They said that there was a dire need to implement safety measures to counter the harmful consequences of chemicals on environment and health. During the seminar, the speakers explained the adverse effects of chemical substances on health. “When different chemical products are burnt, they emit smoke which causes air pollution and has dire consequences on our health,” explained a speaker on the occasion. Dr. Shazia Nisar from KU’s department of chemistry also spoke on the occasion. She informed the gathering that the a project had been initiated to document the use of dyes in products. She said that the use of dyes in products resulted in increased allergies, skin lacerations and metal imbalances. She further stated that some dyes were carcinogenic. “Students will be trained on the issues of using such dyes and then they will spread public awareness,” said Nisar. Sustainability consultant Nazish Shekha, Textile consultant Dr. Sitara Rashid, World Health Organisation (WHO) consultant Dr. Farhana Abdul Rauf, WHO Consultant Dr. Qaisra Mansoor, Consultant Dermatologist Dr. Iffat Zehra from Archroma addressed the participants during the awareness seminar. Published in Daily Times, August 18th 2018.