by Mahbub
Slaves of balloon
Ten-year-old Ayub works at a balloon factory in South Kamrangirchar in the capital, right. His eyes are bloodshot, bottom right, due to the powder used in manufacturing balloons. Another child, top right, coughs testifying to the health hazards they face. Ayub and a boy, top, make balloons with dye all over their bodies. Photo: Star Emran Hossain
At first glance it might appear that it snowed here moments ago. Everything around Allahr Dan Balloon factory in South Keraniganj in the capital is snow-white. But the white blanket hanging in the air and covering everything is not snow but powder being used to unwind balloons after production.
Covered in the white blanket, ten-year-old Ayub keeps unwinding balloons at the factory as powder settles down in several layers on his body, covering his eyes, eyelashes, hair, nostrils and every open limb.
He often flutters his eyelashes to get rid of the powder that stings inside but to no avail.
In a last effort, Ayub rubs his hands, already whitened by the powder, against his eyes. Although he finds no help, he continues rubbing until tears come rolling and his eyes look strangely reddish against the all-white background.
Beside Ayub sits eleven-year-old Khaled with the same look in his appearance. As he continues his work, he coughs in a brief interval.
“The powder does not cause any harm to our eyes; rather it helps eliminate the prickly heat,” says Khaled, laughing and coughing.
About a hundred other children work in at least eight balloon factories in the area at a wage ranged between Tk 150 to Tk 300 per week. They work from 6:00am till 8:00pm every day.
“The powder these kids are inhaling will finally settle down in their lungs. It won’t come out until it’s washed away. It will cause infection and inflammation in the lungs. It might cause chemical pneumonia and recurrent coughing,” says Prof SM Shahnawaz Bin Tabib, paediatrics and executive director of ICMH.
“One day in future antibiotics will not work for them if these kids remain exposed to this hazardous job for a long time,” he adds.
At least five to six children usually work at each factory regularly and the number increases based on orders. Three to four adults, who get Tk 4,000 per month, work at the factory for making chemical solution and supervising the children’s work.
The job at the balloon factory includes melting rubber, dipping balloons in acid solution, unwinding balloons from its case and colouring those. Read the rest of this entry →
