The fire and explosion hazard of coloured powders used during the holi festival

Abstract

During the world‐famous Holi festival, people throw and smear each other with a colored powder (Holi color, Holi powder, Gulal powder). Until now, adverse health and environmental effects (skin and eye irritation, air pollution, and respiratory problems) have been described in the available literature. However, the literature lacks data on the flammable and explosive properties of these powders during mass events, despite the fact that burns, fires, and explosions during the Holi festival have taken place many times. The aim of the article is to present the fire and explosion parameters of three currently used Holi dust and cornflour dust types as reference dust. The minimum ignition temperature of the dust layer and dust cloud, the maximum explosion pressure and its maximum rate of growth over time, the lower explosion limit, the limit of oxygen concentration, and the minimum ignition energy were determined. Tests confirmed that the currently available Holi powders should be classified as flammable dusts and low‐explosive dusts. The likelihood of a fire or explosion during mass incidents involving a Holi dust‐air mixture is high.