Jewellery karigars are at risk from cadmium poisoning, which they use for soldering ornaments. A Telegraph picture

Chittaranjan Karmakar, 54, has been working as a karigar, or skilled labourer, in the jewellery industry for 40 years. He started having acute respiratory problems after the shop he supplies to switched from silver-copper-zinc alloy to cadmium for soldering.

Karigar Shyamal Mallik, 42, died of a lung ailment within months of the switch to cadmium as jewellery solder. He had been in the profession since he was 14.

The World Gold Council acknowledges that cadmium is not safe to work with. The council’s website states: “Cadmium has traditionally been used in jewellery solders as it confers good melt fluidity as well as lowers the melting range. Unfortunately, it is now known that there is a serious toxicity problem with cadmium.”

But as many as 150,000 artisans in and around the city are exposed every day to the poisonous cadmium oxide fumes, which form when the metal boils and the vapour reacts with air. Exposure to the fumes can damage the lungs, kidney and blood, according to doctors.       

The secretary of the Bangiya Swarnashilpi Samity, Tagar Chandra Podder, claims that 99 per cent of gold and silver jewellery soldering in the state is carried out with cadmium. “The karigars involved are at risk,” he states.

Prabir Roy, a 34-year-old karigar who uses cadmium for soldering to keep up with the competition, tells Metro: “During the festive season, we work 16 hours a day. Half the time, we are exposed to cadmium fumes. All of us have a burning sensation in the throat and often get fever. I know karigars who have switched professions because of this problem. Some of them have even opened tea stalls.”

The regional business manager (east) of Tanishq, Dwaipayan Sen, says: “We use indium soldering, though it is five times more costly than cadmium soldering. But it may not be possible for the small players to afford indium.”

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has introduced hallmarking which has the potential to stop cadmium soldering. The deputy director of BIS (eastern zone), Biman Chattopadhyay, says the hallmark is not issued to those who use cadmium. Podder, however, claimed that jewellery with cadmium soldering often get hallmarking.